Disaster in the Rain
by Hitokage
Summary: Sent on a routine investigation to Amegakure, Team Gai end up caught in the crossfire between two powerful, decidedly unfriendly, forces. With their lives and a powerful artefact at stake, how will they fare? NejiTen. Author switched as of Chap 8 onwards.
1. Chapter 1: The Mission begins

All looked pleasant in Konoha. Little had happened the disrupt the relative peace that reigned, especially since a certain loud-mouth named Uzumaki Naruto had been gone from the village for two years already.

Hyuuga Neji and his teammate Tenten ended their usual practice in the shady forests. Around them were numerous scattered weapons and holes made by Neji's Hakkeshou Kaiten.

Seeing that Tenten was exhausted from flinging the kunais and practising her Soushouryu no Jutsu, Neji signalled for them to take a break.

"Let's take a break. We'll continue again afterwards," Neji said, as he tossed Tenten her bottle of water.

"Thanks," replied Tenten as she took a sip from her bottle. "So, any feedback on my performance just now? I'd appreciate any comments from a genius like you."

Hyuuga Neji smiled a little. It wasn't the first time he was called a genius. After all, was he not already a jounin at his age? "Your aiming and throwing speed are up to standard as usual but you need to work on your Soushouryu no Jutsu."

Suddenly, the bushes started to rustle and their Rock Lee burst out into the clearing.

"The fire of youth burns strongly in us! We need to harness it before it is gone! Neji-san, Tenten-san, guess what! Tsunade-sama just issued us a mission to gather information," Rock Lee exclaimed excitedly.

Just before Lee's teammates could utter a single word, Gai came crashing through and hi-kicked Rock Lee in the head. _Ouch_ Tenten winced as Rock Lee slowly picked himself up.

"How could you run ahead and leave your dear sensei behind! Alas, the fire of youth burns strongly in you and my flame of youth is not as strong as it used to be," moaned Gai, presenting the most pitiful facial expression he could muster, which was considerable given the practise he had had.

"That's not true Sensei! Your fire's burning as strong as it ever was, I can feel it. Oh Sensei!" sobbed Lee as he held onto Gai's hands.

"Lee, my wonderful student," Gai said as he too held on tightly to Rock Lee's hands.

Getting impatient, Neji cut short their soppy moment asking," So what is this mission Tsunade-sama wants us to do?"

"Yeah," replied Tenten. "Tell us the details already!"

"Ah, the day is young, my student," Gai slowly replied. "But I admire your eagerness to begin your mission so I shall not keep you in the dark any longer. Lee, will you do the honour of telling your dear comrades?"

"No problem Sensei!" Came Lee's enthusiastic reply. Lee dramatically took out a large topographic map and rolled it open. "For this honourable Class B mission, Tsunade-sama has presented to us, our duty is to gather information on the hidden village of the rain. Recently, ninjas from that village have been trying to infiltrate our village and though we have captured them, they refuse to tell us their intentions. The most our interrogators can get out of them is that they are doing it order to retrieve something from Konoha, and they also plan to find out Konoha's weaknesses and to launch an attack to get what they want," Lee said, pausing to catch his breath.

Gai took over saying," We do not have much info on the rain village, so we do not know the kinds of ninjas we will be facing. Apparently, they did not send the most skilled of ninjas to our village, which means that the ninjas over at their village could be extremely strong. Any information on their real motives would be useful so my team-mates, you all need to be on your guard for this mission and try not to let our enemies spot us as we scope around their village for clues."

"Oh sensei, you explain it so well. Come on team! Let's complete our mission in 5 days!" Rock Lee shouted.

"Ah, always up to the challenge aren't you, my young spitfire," grinned Gai. "But first let us ready our equipment and then meet at our favourite restaurant in two hours for a sending off meal. Who knows when is the next time I get to taste delicious Kutsudon from that restaurant."

Tenten rolled her eyes at Gai's remark as Neji picked up the topographic map and started studying the best route to take as well as calculating the distance from Konoha to their destination.

As the team broke up to get their equipment, Tenten tapped Neji on the shoulder. "Ano, my house is on the way to yours so how about we pick my equipment before going to your house. Then we can head to the meeting place together."

"I've no objections to that but you have to carry your things yourself." Came Neji's reply.

"Now what makes you think that…" Tenten said, putting on an innocent expression.

Neji smiled to himself. The two of them discussed the mission ahead, as they went to collect their equipment.

High above on the roof of a building, Temari watched as the two ninjas walked along. Cleaning her fan, she commented, "Neji and Tenten sure get along pretty well. In fact, I think that Tenten is the only other girl Neji really talks to, other then his cousin Hinata of course. I heard they received a mission from Tsunade-sama."

"Why do you even bother about two ninjas minding their own business? Humph, women, always wanting to poke into other peoples lives. So troublesome." Naru Shikamaru said as he lazily stretched his legs from his resting position next to Temari.

Temari swiped Shikamaru with her fan, almost causing him to roll off the roof, but fortunately, Shikamaru caught himself just in time.

" Why did you do that for?" Shikamaru shouted irritably. " I could have dropped off the roof!"

" No you wouldn't. I know you can take care of yourself," smiled Temari. "And anyway you were insulting women…again."

"Cheh, women are so troublesome. No fury like a woman scorned," muttered Shikamaru. " I can't believe my parents let you stay in our guestroom when you came to visit."

"Well I am a diplomat of the Sand Village and I do need to settle some things with Konoha. You had better show some respect," Temari chided him.

" Fine, it's much too troublesome to quarrel with you anyway." Shikamaru settled back into his usual comfortable rest position and resumed his cloud watching. Temari just looked at him and seeing that he was thoroughly absorbed with doing nothing, she continued cleaning her fan.

Meanwhile, Neji and Tenten had reached Tenten's house, collected the necessary equipment and were now headed for the Hyuuga household. Neji and Tenten quietly walked along as they admired Konoha's peaceful landscape around them. It would be horrible if blood were ever shed on such beauty, Tenten thought to herself. It made her proud to be a ninja and to protect the village she loved. She looked at Neji feeling happy that she had a genius like him as a Konoha ninja and as a fellow teammate. She wouldn't want to face Neji in a battle and she felt safe whenever he was with her in their team missions. '_Mmmm, it sure is great to have a friend like Neji around, even though he can be very cold and unfeeling sometimes_,' thought Tenten as she shifted the backpack she was carrying. '_Guess he doesn't consider helping to carry loads something a friend and teammate would do.'_

Upon reaching the Hyuuga residence, Neji pushed open the front door and as he stepped into his house, a dog suddenly ran up to him and started barking.

"It's Akamaru! That means Kiba-san is here too!" exclaimed Tenten. Just then, Inuzuka Kiba appeared together with Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata trailing behind them.

" What are you doing here?" questioned Neji. "Weren't you all training somewhere else?"

"I could ask you the same question," Kiba replied, picking up Akamaru. "Just so you know, Kurenai-sensei told us that we received a mission from Tsunade-sama. Apparently we need to bring back two ninjas who have been sent to rain village one month ago on some mission, we don't know what. All we know is that they were expected to be back a week ago but they are still missing. No one knows what happened."

" Tsunade-sama also sent my team on a information gathering mission to Rain Village." Neji explained. " Where is Hiashi-sama? I need to inform him that I will be away for a while on a mission."

"He is in his room, Neji-nisan," Hinata said softly. " He has already consented to my mission to Hidden Village of the rain."

" I'll go and inform him right this moment. Tenten-san, wait here with the others while I go prepare for the mission. I shouldn't take long." With that, Neji disappeared into one of the rooms. Hinata politely asked Tenten if she would like to have a drink while waiting.

" Thanks but you don't need to get me anything. Neji-san and I will be going to meet the rest of our team at the Tokage restaurant where we will have a meal before setting off," explained Tenten, smiling at Hinata. " By the way, I heard from Neji-san that you have grown stronger. Is it due to Naruto's influence?" Tenten teased Hinata. As expected, Hinata nodded her head slightly and blushed.

" Naruto is definitely boosting her determination to become stronger. Maybe we should print a large poster of Naruto to put up whenever Hinata fights." Kiba said jokingly.

" Humph, you and your stupid ideas. Stop teasing her already. You don't want to make her faint from embarrassment before the mission starts now do you," Shino quickly retorted. " Any way Kurenai-sensei's here so we have got to get going."

" Bye Tenten-san. Sorry but we have got to go," Kiba announced as Hinata said a quick goodbye and promptly joined her teammates.

" Okay, bye and good luck in your mission," Tenten said. As Hinata's team left, Neji reappeared with his equipment in his sling bag. " Have they gone already? Well we had better get a move on it soon if we want to be punctual for the meeting."

And so Neji and Tenten left the Hyuuga household and headed for the Tokage restaurant. They had plenty of time left but they always liked to be there at least 5 minutes before the actual timing. Along the way they discussed different matters such as the change in Hinata and ways to improve their fighting styles and practises.


	2. Chapter 2: At Tokage Restaurant

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 2: At the Tokage Restaurant

At the Tokage restaurant, Neji and Tenten headed for the corner booth at the right side of the restaurant, the usual spot they knew Gai-sensei loved to have his meal at. They never could understand why their Sensei loved that spot only that it had something to do with a painting of a fire lizard resting near a pond of Lotuses. _The fires of youth quote probably went to his head,_ thought Tenten as they slid into their seats and waited for Gai and Rock Lee to arrive. Neji picked up the menu and started to scan through the items that the restaurant served. The only thing he noticed had changed was the set meals section. " Bad news Tenten-san, they changed the kid's meal dessert. Now you can't beg any kids in the restaurant to trade their pudding with you," Neji said with a smirk on his face.

" Neji-san! I haven't done that in weeks! And anyway the kid agreed to trade his kid's meal pudding with me. It's not like it's bad news or anything." Tenten tried to defend herself.

Neji just smiled and carried on scanning the menu. He had no favourite meal, he was not fussy and anything featured in the menu was fine with him…except for the restaurant's speciality lizard broth. _Hmm, Tenten looked so cute when she was irritated. What? When did I start thinking about that?_ Neji quickly brushed that thought away. _Must be because it's fun to tease her a little sometimes._

Tenten spotted Gai and Lee walking into the restaurant. She waved them over and they walked over to their table. " So is the fire burning strongly in you my shinobis. Ready to tackle the first part of the mission. We need to eat enough to fuel our energy and to be ready for any enemy who dares stand in our way."

" Sensei! I feel ready to swallow ten meals and be supercharged for the mission!" Lee shouted.

" Be practical Lee-san, we don't have much money." Neji calmly said, as he shifted his bag to make way for his teammates. Tenten just giggled and passed her Sensei and Lee their menus. After everyone had decided what they wanted to eat, Gai waved a waiter over to their table. The team gave the waiter their orders and when the waiter served them their meal, they tucked into it heartily. While they ate, Neji and Tenten told Gai and Lee about Kurenai's team's mission and that two ninjas sent there had not returned.

" Well I happen to know one of the two ninjas sent there one month ago and I definitely don't think that he would betray Konoha. Something wrong must have happened and we have to find out what is going on in the Hidden Village of the Rain." Gai said in a serious tone. " When we get close to their territory, I want everyone to be on their guard. We can't afford to make any mistakes as we know nothing about their village and their strengths."

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, with the occasional small talk in between, as they pondered over what Gai-sensei had said. When they had eaten their fill and paid the bill, they took their equipment and set off together for the Hidden Village of the Rain.

" Are you all set to tackle the mission my shinobis? The spring of youth waits for no one so you'd better be all fired up!" Gai cheered his team on.

" Sensei! We're ready!" Shouted Rock Lee, as Tenten and Neji both responded with affirmations.

Gai looked at his team. Compared to some other teams, he still had a long way to go in getting them to work together. _Tenten and Neji have just started to accept Rock Lee as a good teammate and slowly as a friend. Before that, they hardly trained together and the team was mainly split into two sections, Neji and Tenten on one side with Lee and myself on the other. Tenten had started coming to watch and participate in Gai and Lee's training sessions, when Neji was busy with his one on one combat practices with his uncle. They now discuss their battle techniques with each other and get together for more group practices but is it too late? Can they really work as a true team when the need calls for it?_ Gai thought to himself as he watched his team travelling next to him on the mission.

" My shinobis, we will need to work as a team when we encounter any trouble so I hope that you will all remember to help each other. Teamwork is very important, so try to understand each other's movements and watch the backs of your teammates. Man, I sound like Kakashi but seriously, I need you all to work as a group. No one is to fight by himself or herself." Gai told his team.

" Don't worry sensei, I'll protect my team no matter what the cost!" Lee swore to his team.

" I will try my best to help in the team. Though my skills are not as great as you guys." Tenten told her Sensei.

" I'll help you get out of trouble if you are being pummelled by the enemy. I'm sure the trainings we had helped us get a feel of each other's battling abilities." Neji confidently replied. " I agree our teamwork is amateurish compared to teams like Kurenai's and Kakashi's teams but we are still able to put up a fierce fight. And besides, have you no faith in my abilities?"

" Well I have faith in you my shinobis. Come on, let's proceed while the fire of youth burns strongly in us!" Gai said, regaining his usual sunny disposition.

The team continue to zip past the trees as they made their way swiftly and quietly toward the Hidden Village of the Rain. A dark figure watched them from a distance. "…Hmm…" it murmured as it disappeared into the shadows once more.


	3. Chapter 3: Attacked by Rain Ninjas

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Author's notes: Thank you for all your reviews. I really appreciate them, cha. I'm open to advice or suggestions (hint, hint) so feel free to dish it out to me. P

Chapter 3: Attacked by Rain ninjas

The rain village was far from Konoha and when Gai's team had decided that they had covered enough distance for one day, they chose a suitable spot to rest for the night.

"Your magnificent Sensei will help you all gather some food to fill your young hearty appetites. It pains me to see my shinobis going on a mission half-starved," announced Gai. "Watch the place while I'm gone and have a bonding session. Each bonding session you have can only serve to help you as a team."

" Sensei! We will do as you say and by the time you return, we will be as close as brothers and sister." Lee cried out to Gai as his sensei left the group.

"Lee-san, hate to break it to you but I can't ever imagine you being my brother." Neji shook his head as he told Lee. _Stuff of nightmares, I have to admit._

"Me neither," Tenten agreed. "But we can still become a closely-knit team in time to come. Shall we discuss the equipment we brought with us?"

"Sure. Let's start with Lee-san." Neji pointed to his teammate.

"Not exactly my idea of bonding but okay we'll share with each other what equipment we brought. Firstly I brought along some sake..."

"Lee!" Neji and Tenten shouted at the same time. " How did you even get hold of that when you're not even of legal age!" Lee opened his mouth to answer but the other two cut him off.

"You might attack us if you get too drunk." Neji told Lee.

"Yeah, so much for teamwork," added Tenten. "I suppose if you drink a little you'll still be fine..." Tenten tried to be positive.

"Do not fret, my friends, this remains a last resort. My abilities are greatly enhanced when drunk, though I find it difficult to distinguish friend from foe..." Lee trailed off while maintaining his nice-guy pose.

Neji and Tenten sweat-dropped.

"Anyway, let's continue. What else did you bring? Something useful, or is that too much to hope for?" Neji said, sarcasm evident in his voice.

"Well, as you all know, thanks to the tutelage of my wonderful sensei, I am now an able taijutsu fighter and so require no weapons" Lee said proudly.

Just then, all three sensed the presence of others nearby. Neji motioned for Tenten to continue their discussion, so as not to alert those around them. Both Tenten and Lee caught on to what Neji wanted them to do, and resumed their earlier conversation as if nothing was amiss.

While they chatted, Neji activated his Byakkugan subtly and began to scan the surrounding forest. He found no more than five ninjas, evidently from the Rain Village by the headbands they wore. _Hmm... We're still quite a distance from the Rain, so these have probably been sent out specifically to either spy on or kill us._Neji pondered for a moment. _They seem to be waiting for the right moment to strike, so I guess it is safe to assume that they have killing in mind._Neji returned his attention to Lee and Tenten.

"Weapons, you say? Could you be a little more specific? I mean, being a weapons mistress, I'm sure you carry a larger variety than the everyday ninja." Lee mentioned, keeping up the act. Though he was finding it hard to contain his "youthful spirit" and wanted nothing better than to engage the ninjas watching them in battle.

Tenten caught Neji's eye, and noted the direction he nodded in. "Well, I've been meaning to try out these barbed kunais, but I haven't had any opportunity to do so, until now!" As she finished her sentence with a theatrical sweep of her hand, a number of the aforesaid kunais left her hand, heading for the hiding place Neji had pinpointed. Caught by surprise, her target died on the spot, one of the kunais having embedded itself in his throat.

Realizing that their cover had been blown, the remaining four burst into plain view, headed directly for the trio. They got to their feet and prepared to meet their aggressors head-on.

First to make a move, Rock Lee charged straight towards the Rain Nins. They immediately broke formation, two facing Lee, and one each for both Neji and Tenten. Neji quirked an eyebrow at having been gauged as weaker than his teammate.

"Ready team, let's do our sensei proud!" roared Lee as he dodged his opponent's shuriken and disappeared from view. Looking around, the ninja was floored by a sudden punch to the face. Quickly getting to his feet, he drew his katana and swung it in the direction he thought Lee to be, only to come close to decapitating his own teammate. Lee immediately took advantage of the resulting confusion.

"Konoha Senpuu! (Konoha Hurricane)"

The first Rain Nin took the full brunt of Lee's attack and collapsed, dead before he touched the ground. Lee had no time to gloat, however, as his other opponent let loose a barrage of punches which required some effort deflecting. Despite the situation, Lee smiled to himself. He always enjoyed sparring with other taijutsu users.

"I'll handle this guy." Tenten said as she swiftly sent a flurry of shurikens flying towards her opponent. Despite the ninja's nimble movements, he could not dodge fully the weapons mistress' accurately placed shurikens. Ten shurikens were sticking out of his arms and legs but the ninja stood strong and took out twin umbrellas, ready for more.

_Dang, I missed his vital organs! I'll have to try again._Tenten inwardly cursed her aiming, and released another rush of shurikens. This time however, her opponent was prepared.

" Kamaitachi no Jutsu! (Cutting Whirlwind Technique"

Using his two umbrellas, he created a whirlwind that blew the weapons back at Tenten. _What! I thought a person could only perform that jutsu with a fan, like how Temari used it on me._Tenten thought in shock. Seeing his teammate in trouble, Neji moved away from his opponent and rushed to stop the detoured kunais.

"Jouro Senban! (Rain of Needles)"

Taking advantage of Neji's preoccupation, his earlier opponent flung three umbrellas into the air and suddenly it was raining needles from every direction.

" Shusen Kunai Chuuha no jutsu! (Defensive Technique: Wave of Kunais)"

Seeing the incoming danger, Tenten unleashed a wave of kunais and managed to destroy most of the needles. Unfortunately a few got through the defensive wave and embedded themselves in Tenten's left leg. With a sudden burst of newfound energy, Neji finished deflecting the kunais and dashed to Tenten's aid as Lee, who had defeated his enemy, came over to take Neji's place and started taking on Tenten's opponent.

The ninja used his umbrellas to once again bring the raining needles into play. Neji, after moving Tenten to one side, simply stood his ground and as the needles started to fall on him, even had the audacity to smile.

"Hakkeshou Kaiten! (Swirling Wind Rotation)" Neji turned his body into a whirling tornado, rendering the needles useless.

"What the…!" The ninja quickly used his umbrellas again to attack Neji with the raining needles.

"While you were busy jawing off, you entered the range of my Hakke. Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou! (64 Points of Divination)"

Neji rushed at his opponent and closed his Tenketsu points. The Rain ninja coughed out blood and lay motionless on the forest floor.

Lee had finished off the last ninja, and the team dusted themselves off. Tenten took out some bandages from her makeshift medicine pouch and tended to her wounds.

"I'm sorry I couldn't defeat that ninja myself." Tenten apologised. "I'm really too weak compared to the both of you."

"Nonsense, don't blame yourself. You're a really good weapons mistress, and a good ninja. It's just that sometimes your tactics backfire due to wind and defence Justus. I'm not too badly hurt anyway." Neji reassured Tenten. Then Neji bent down to help Tenten bandage her wound. Tenten blushed a little at the help Neji gave her. _It is rare for Neji to ever bandage anyone._ _Neji sure is a nice person. I'm so glad for the umpteenth time that he is my teammate._ Tenten gave Neji a big smile as he finished tying up the bandages.

"Thanks, I'm feeling much better now."

Neji gave her a slight smile back._ She sure is a very determined girl. I really admire her strength and it's sad to see her frustrated… wait why am I becoming soft, if she wants to become stronger I'll just have to revamp the training sessions with her and make them tougher. _Neji thought, as he looked at her with a gentle gaze for a second._ She looks so cool with that determined look in her eyes._

"Based on what I've just seen, I'd say that those were ranked no higher than Chuunin. In fact, one or two may have been Genins," Lee announced. Tenten realized with a groan that she might have been injured by a ninja of lower rank than herself.

Just then someone came out of the bushes. Neji instinctively went into his battle stance while Tenten grabbed the nearest kunai buried in the ground next to her. Lee quickly rushed to the incoming visitor.

Meanwhile, a lone figure who had watched the initial stages of the battle with interest, and had only left when she realized how long she had been gone, stood before a large tree. Performing a long series of hand seals, she dispelled the genjutsu and a doorway appeared. Standing in the doorway was her brother. She figured that she was in trouble and immediately covered her head using her hands.

Tapping his sister's head lightly, he said, "Yo sis, where have you gone, cha. Sensei wanted you to study some new Jutsus and you just went off on your own, cha. You know we're not supposed to be found out, cha. Now go see Sensei and apologise. Hopefully he is in a fairly good mood and punishes you by giving you his concocted fruit juice to taste, cha."

Seeing that his sister was about to answer, he raised a finger and continued, "I know why you went out, and I do think you went out for a good reason, cha. But you know how Sensei is about training. Even if you received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Uchiha Sasuke dance in a tutu, like that will ever happen, it still doesn't qualify as a good enough reason to skip training, cha. And the secrecy of our presence here at our training hideout could have been jeopardized, cha. Though since you're here now, I assume the team sent out got waylaid somehow, cha?"

The girl, who had been rolling her eyes through much of her brother's speech, nodded after realizing that he had asked her a question. "They were attacked by a group sent out by Makendo. Given the inferiority of that lot, they were probably massacred, cha. The team sent out seems to be comprised of two Chuunins and two Jounins, though I can't be sure that they're the only team sent out, cha. Two are primarily taijutsu fighters, and one specialises in weapon accuracy. I dunno about the last one, their sensei, but I'm willing to bet on his using taijutsu, cha."

"So Makendo already tried to kill that team, cha? A meaningless waste of manpower, especially since he's pretty short on ninjas himself, cha. But we can't let either Makendo or the Konoha Nins interfere with sensei's goals, cha. After all, it's the least we can do to repay him for all he's done for us, cha. Now, I think it is time for you to see Sensei."

Making a face and sticking out her tongue, the girl reluctantly let her brother drag her to face her Sensei and his notorious concoctions…


	4. Chapter 4: Revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Author's notes: I would like to thank my brother for editing my chapters, especially the fight scenes. He refuses to co-write or give me ideas though.

Anyway hope you enjoy this chapter…

Chap 4: Revelations

"What kind of a bonding session did you all have?" said Gai as he looked around his surrounding. Dead bodies of the ninjas lay strewn among the area.

" Sensei! We were attacked by five rain ninjas while you were out hunting for food. Fortunately we all cooperated and managed to defeat them all." Lee proudly told Gai as Tenten and Neji filled him in on the details.

"Well, looks like you managed to defeat them. Why did they attack us? What was their purpose? Did they know about our mission?" Gai pondered aloud. " Anyway, there are no more Rain Nins in sight so let's tuck in to the delicious stuff your dear sensei had brought you." Gai dramatically whipped out the bundle of food he had foraged. All around him his team just stared at the food that their sensei expected them to eat. Apparently Gai had gotten a variety of fruits and vegetation of, well, interesting colours and shapes. Neji and the others recognised some of the food but the rest looked as weird as they were unappetising.

" You sure that those food are 100 edible?" Neji questioned Gai, as he raised his right eyebrow up. " I'll stick to eating those that I know for sure won't poison me."

" Come on, where's the flame of youth in you, have you no sense of adventure?" Gai chided Neji.

" Well sensei, if you don't mind, I would also rather not touch those food I'm not familiar with myself. Unless of course you can prove that all of them are safe for consumption AND that they are tasty." Tenten said, as she picked up a strange looking pale orange-coloured fruit.

" Team, just trust Sensei. He wouldn't possibly poison us on a very important mission now would he?" Lee faithfully defended his Sensei.

" You've got a point there. Sensei, you can start educating us on the new edible foods as we begin our meal." Neji said mundanely.

" Now that's more like it. Shinobis go ahead and eat. Your sensei here shall enlighten your young and ever-growing minds." Gai smiled at his team as they sat down to eat and he told them about the taste and location of the strange looking foods. His team was definitely coming together and he was proud of them. And to think that the team didn't have much respect for each other in the beginning. Gai was still worried about the attack that had occurred earlier. _What were the Rain Nins doing? And what happened to the missing ninjas from our village?_ He could only hope that Kurenai's team could successfully complete their mission.

As they were finishing their meal, Neji, who had been thinking about the Rain Ninjas' motives, said," I heard somewhere that Rain Nins were mercenaries who worked for the highest bidder, I think that they were most likely to have been working for their present employer."

" Neji has a good point there. Ha, the wonderful food must have nourished your brain. Ah, the minds of such talented youths never cease to amaze me." Gai commented as Lee nodded his head in agreement whilst Tenten and Neji looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"I also think that the Rain Ninjas who attacked were not aware of our mission." Neji continued. "They most likely attacked as they were discovered by us and from my observations; they were amateurs with more skills in spying then assassination. And don't go saying that the food you salvaged nourished my brain." Neji added on.

"Oh I would never dream of destroying the intelligence of such a magnificent flower as you. I believe you are right so we shall treat this incident as a coincidence and from now on make extra sure that the Rain Nins don't figure out that we are intruding into their business. Tomorrow we shall resume our journey. Shinobis, let's all get some sleep now and renew our energy of youth before dawn! Lee, you and I shall take the first watch while Neji and Tenten get some shuteye first. Remember, you two take over the watch after two hours. Sleep well then and don't let the insects bite you!" Gai told Neji and Tenten.

Then he and Lee positioned themselves at strategic watch spots as Neji leaned against a tree to rest and Tenten removed her bandage and crept into her sleeping bag. She turned to face Neji who was resting a few metres away from her and tossed him a blanket.

"Here, you don't want to catch a cold now do you?" Tenten said.

"What? Don't you know that I don't catch colds even though I don't use a blanket?" Neji replied as he caught the blanket thrown to him.

"Well, you do have a jacket but still is it not more comfortable having a blanket?" Tenten asked, smiling at Neji's act of toughness. Tenten's smile must have been infectious for Neji couldn't help but smile back.

"…Thanks anyway…how's your leg doing?" Neji opened up the folded woolly blanket that Tenten passed to him and draped it over himself. _Hmm, this blanket sure is comfy, but I can't let her know that._

"Much better now, thanks to you. I think I should be fully recovered by tomorrow. Ahh, I hope that we can successfully complete this mission." Tenten stifled a yawn as she lay her head down on the sleeping bag.

"We will." Neji reassured Tenten.

Tenten just stared into his eyes. They seemed to draw her in. His eyes though cold and frightening most of the time, always seem to soften whenever he spoke to her and gave her a sense of security. Tenten had always admired the genius Neji for who knows how long. Too bad her skills were way beneath his and she could never match up to him. That was probably a reason why she couldn't bring herself to ask Neji if he had feelings for her. Even if Neji didn't think much of her, she was glad that at least they were friends. But she always had a small hope that one day Neji would actually develop feelings for her. She sighed and closed her eyes to get some rest.

Meanwhile, Neji was looking at Tenten and thinking how sweet she looked when she was sleeping. Although she didn't let down her hair as she felt that their rest time would be too short to remove her buns, she still looked cute in his eyes. The moonlight fell upon Tenten's sleeping form gave Neji the impression that she was an angel sent from above. Looking at the image, Neji wished he could capture it in a painting. Tenten looked so sweet in that pose, but heck, she looked sweet no matter what she was doing.

Neji would never admit it but he was slowly beginning to like Tenten more and more each day. But best friends grow closer in their friendship now don't they? She was somehow different from the other girls and always tried to improve her skills. The sort of girl he liked…

Just then Gai popped out of nowhere and said to Neji, "Hey why don't you follow the good example of Tenten over there and get some rest. You have only one hour and forty minutes left so you'd better let the spring of youth within you rest or you'll wither really soon."

"…Fine." Neji mumbled to his Sensei as he closed his eyes to rest until it was his turn to keep watch.

A half dead girl stumbled out of the kitchen and went into the nearest toilet. Her brother turned to his Sensei, "Are you sure she's not going to die, cha. It is the worst concoction you have come up with so far and her face looks more horrible than the previous times she had to taste your concoctions, cha. She did find out about Makendo and his men, so do take pity on her, cha."

"Aye, not to worry my gakkyuu, your sister will be fine. I think I added a tad too many digestive prunes in the drink though. " Clearing the kitchen table, their sensei stored the remains of the drink in the storage room. " She knows very well how I feel about her missing her training sessions and being out in the open alone leaves her vulnerable to detection. You do know very well that you can't be detected now do you."

"Yes Sensei, we know that we are supposed to be dead, cha. In fact, we are the only living proof of our clan, cha. So sensei, can we have our dinner before our night training now, cha. We're really hungry."

"Of course you all can. Just call your sister out here and I'll whip up a delicious meal for you young ninjas. Just for fun, both of you need to be blindfolded and guess which of the dishes placed before you is your meal. The rest…let's just say they are more appetizing than they look. Okay, off you go to call your sister."

" Sensei, that's not fun!" moaned his gakkyuu. " No wonder you grew up with a sadistic face like that…" he muttered as he left the kitchen to check on his sister while dodging two kunais his sensei threw at him for his impudent remark.

Switching on the gas to cook some ramen, the sadistic sensei reviewed what his gakkyuu had reported to him before she reluctantly swallowed his Charlious Concoction, a mixture of fruits and other secret ingredients. So Makendo was up to his tricks again. Well he certainly wasn't going to get his hands on the fire-red orb. The orb contained special powers, powers that could be harnessed to slaughter a hundred people at a shot, but that was not his main objective. Killing many people at a shot was Makendo's goal; Makendo had a twisted mind and planned to wipe out the entire Rain Village and make it his own.

With such power, Makendo could threaten villages with the orb's power and who knows what corrupted actions he would carry out. The orb had somehow ended up in Konoha during the Forth Hokage's reign. Nobody knew how it got there. He was told about it when he was a mere six by his sensei. His sensei was now dead, brutally murdered by Makendo's large army.

As he stirred the ramen in the pot, he sighed. He needed the orb to rid him of the effects of a horrible experiment gone wrong. After his sensei died, Makendo's men took him as their prisoner and did laboratory experiments on him. They wanted to make a powerful monster to serve under them and thus tried to merge his body with that of a lizard demon but failed horribly, well what did you expect from amateurs and fools like them.

The experiments were painful and caused him to have a tough scaly skin like that of a thorny devil on his arms and legs. He managed to escape from his tormenters one night and freed the captive lizard demon. From then on, he made a pact with the lizard demon and summoned the lizard demon whenever he needed the lizard's help. He had honed his skills but could never defeat Makendo's army, they were just too many for him to handle.

With the orb in his possession, the powers in the orb could cure his lizard modifications and habits; sometimes he would instinctively whip out his forked tongue to grab disgusting bugs, which made him frustrated. Not only that, with the orb, he could defeat Makendo and his army once and for all. He had, many a time, pondered the possibility of enlisting Konoha's help, but always came to the same negative conclusion. He had no trust in villages, a trait inherited from his sensei, who was an outcast of the Rain.

Seeing that the ramen was cooked, he poured them into three separate bowls and took out some packets of food from his store cupboard. He vowed that he would get the orb in Konoha, after all, he knew exactly where it was stored after years of spying, and beat Makendo to a pulp. Smiling to himself, he called his gakkyuus to enter the kitchen blindfolded and watched as they concentrated on using their sense of smell to detect the ramen. He was not alone in his mission; he always had his loyal and hardworking gakkyuus to help him, though they could be disrespectful to him at times.


	5. Chapter 5: Kurenai\'s team fights

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Author's Notes: My brother's been helping me through much of this story already, especially with the fight scenes (he's bias towards certain characters though, he's a NaruHina FANATIC!). I hope the characters I came up with are believable and maybe I'll draw them out someday so you readers can see how they look like. I've already drawn three NejiTen fan arts, which you can view at the Neji x Tenten fan listing, fan art section.

Chap 5: Kurenai's team fights

Neji and Tenten took over Gai and Lee when it was time for their shift. Gai and Lee gave them a dramatic good luck pose before going to have a rest. Neji and Tenten went to the lookout points, making sure that the area was safe from any danger. The night air was really chilly, especially high up on the trees. Tenten sneezed and wished that she had remembered to bring her blanket along.

Just as she was rubbing her hands together in an effort to warm herself, she felt something warm draped around her shoulders. As she looked up, she saw that Neji had removed the jacket he brought along and passed it to her. She was touched by his sudden act of kindness and blushed in the moonlight. Neji did not know how to react to this so he just turned his head away and scanned the area.

After a pause, Tenten quietly asked, "Is it really alright for you to pass me your jacket. I mean, aren't you cold."

" I told you before, I don't catch colds easily. Anyway you are the one who needs the blanket more. Now go put on the jacket." Neji said nonchalantly.

Tenten just giggled a little and as she put on Neji's jacket, she thanked Neji. Neji just shrugged his shoulders and they both continue to keep watch until their shift is up, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the night and each other's company…

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As Gai was resting, Lee shook his Sensei, asking, " Sensei, How is Kurenai's team doing? Will we meet them along the way?"

"Well Lee, I don't know the answer myself but I hope that they are not facing any problems and manage to find out what happened to the missing ninjas. Now go to sleep, youths need rest to rejuvenate their strength and let their fires of youth burn brightly in the morning."

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Kurenai's team had already made headway in their mission. While scoping the forests on the way to the Hidden Village of the Rain, they found that the two ninjas who were sent to the Rain Village never made it there. They found traces of their blood on the forest floor and Kiba confirmed it to be the blood of their fellow Nins. There was no body in sight and with the amount of blood found splattered all over the place, they could safely assume that the missing Nins were killed in battle. Searching the area once more, they found no further evidence.

"Darn it! We set off on a mission only to find that the two ninjas sent to the Rain Village were killed. Now what are we suppose to tell the Fifth." Kiba banged his fist on the nearest tree, frustration getting the better of him.

"Calm down Kiba, at least we know what happened to them. Ninjas die all the time in their line of work. We should find out who was responsible for their deaths and make sure that they don't hurt any more Konoha citizens." Kurenai chided Kiba. Kiba relaxed a little. Kurenai continued, "Shino, did you find out anything from your bugs?"

"…They were taken out by Rain Nins. They put up a good fight but were defeated by the leader's plant-based jutsu." Shino said after a pause.

"Good, at least we have something to go by. Does anyone else have any other comments to make?" Kurenai asked her team.

"How are we suppose to …wait, I'm picking up the scent of some ninjas, you do smell them too don't you, Akamaru." Kiba sniffed the air once more. "Hinata-san, could you do a quick scan, I think they are nearby."

Hinata nodded and activated her Byakkugan. Using her Byakkugan, she spotted six Rain Nins approaching their group cautiously, and quickly whispered what she saw to her team and prepared to face the intruders.

Kiba listened in to the approaching ninja's whispered conversation but stopped short upon hearing Akamaru and himself described as 'dumb animal on top of dumber human'.

"Who're you calling dumb, you morons!" Kiba yelled out without thinking. Kurenai mentally slapped her forehead in exasperation at Kiba's lack of tact. Realizing that their targets were aware of their presence, the team of six launched themselves at Kurenai's team.

The four quickly spaced themselves out. Two came at both Kurenai and Kiba, while Shino and Hinata found themselves facing one each. Shino contented himself with the knowledge that it was probably Kiba's outburst that resulted in him facing more opponents, rather than his stronger appearance.

"Magen: Jubaku Satsu!" (Demonic Illusion: Tree Bind Death)

One of Kurenai's opponents had carelessly ventured too close to her. Kurenai vanished from view, leaving her target frantically looking around. But while scanning her surroundings, the ninja failed to take notice of a tree growing at her feet. By the time she did, the branches had already bound her tightly, rendering her immobile. Before her teammate could come to her rescue, Kurenai had emerged and buried a kunai in her target's throat. Her remaining opponent's eyes widened as the realization that he was fighting a powerful genjutsu user set in. He looked around, hoping for back up, but his other teammates were occupied with the rest of Kurenai's team. Kurenai smiled, a feral gesture that chilled the blood of her opponent.

"Juujin Bunshin!" (Beast Human Clone)

Elsewhere, Kiba and Akamaru stood slightly apart, appearing to their two opponents as identical forms. Unimpressed, their opponents began forming identical hand seals, releasing their Jutsus at the same moment.

"Katon: Hinotama Kyuushuu" Fire Release: Fireballs from Heaven

Spheres of flame began emerging from the sky, bombarding Kiba and Akamaru. They easily dodged the slow-moving projectiles, which hit the ground and released a large amount of smoke. Kiba dropped a smoke bomb of his own, further reducing the visibility of the area. Disoriented, the two Rain Nins were unable to locate both their targets and one another.

"Gatsuuga!" (Twin Piercing Fangs)

Kiba and Akamaru began spinning violently and launched themselves into the thick cloud of smoke. Acting purely on instinct, their two opponents managed to evade the attack by throwing themselves to the side, colliding with each other in the process. Getting to their feet, they were hit from behind by the second wave of Kiba and Akamaru's attack. With no time to react, both ninjas were badly slashed but still refused to give up. With their strength slowly draining away, both ninja's eyes were set with a grim resolve. Again forming identical hand seals, they unleashed a jutsu with the last of their chakra. Sensing danger, Kiba and Akamaru attempted to leap out of the way.

"Katon: Shounetsujigoku Daien!" Fire Release: Hell's Inferno Circle

The ground around the two rain Nins ignited, flames blasting everything within a five-meter radius. Kiba and Akamaru were able to escape in time, but still caught the edge of the blast, suffering slight burns on their legs. The flames subsided, leaving nothing but the slightly charred bodies of the two rain Nins behind.

"That was a kamikaze technique, if we didn't get out in time we would probably now be as dead as those two, Akamaru" Kiba murmured to his companion. Akamaru whined in agreement.

"Kaikachuu no Jutsu!" (Destruction Bug Host Technique)

Insects swarmed out of Shino's body. His opponent was shocked, and immediately increased the distance between Shino and himself.

"Running, are we?" Shino muttered. His opponent, having retreated to a distance he thought secure, began forming hand seals. But before he was able to finish, he found his chakra drained from him, leaving him powerless. Shino's eyes narrowed, and the Destruction Bugs finished the job, having attacked the ninja from behind.

Hinata on the other hand, was facing a very overconfident opponent. A smirk evident on his face, he stood some distance away taunting her. Hinata willed herself to remain calm, ignoring her opponent's insults. Seeing as they were having no effect on her, the ninja commenced his attack, charging at her with twin Sai drawn.

"Heijin no Dengeki" Blades of Electrocution

A visible electric current began flow through both his blades, giving off a distinct sizzling sound. Aiming for Hinata's head, he prepared to unleash the full voltage stored in his blades.

"Jyuuken!" (Gentle Fist)

Hinata dodged the blades and struck her opponent repeatedly, closing his Tenketsu points. Coughing up blood, he staggered backwards, dropping his blades. _I promised Naruto-kun I would become strong, so I cannot lose to someone like this! _Hinata thought fiercely. Bounding up to face her target, she braced herself to finish him off.

"Hakkeshou Kaiten!" (Swirling Wind Rotation)

Countless training sessions with her father had paid off. Her mastery of the technique was close to complete, and at such close quarters, her opponent stood no chance. Hit by her attack, he flew some distance, already dead.

Meanwhile, Kurenai had entrapped her remaining foe in a powerful genjutsu. Deciding to spare him further mental agony, she ended his misery with a strategically placed thrown kunai. Looking around, she saw that the rest of the rain Nins had been killed and that only Kiba had taken any damage.

Shino commented, " The leader of their team was missing."

Kiba said, " So you're saying that this was the team who slaughtered our ninjas? They weren't that powerful; I'm sure the two Jounins sent could have taken them down or at least reduced their manpower to about half. Does that mean their leader is very skilled?"

Shino nodded. Kurenai searched the pockets of the slain ninjas and found a few items with a strange looking symbol on it. " That's strange, if their leader uses plant Jutsus, then why is the symbol shaped like an iceberg?"

"Argh, how would we know? They're probably some secret society with strange taste in emblems. " Kiba replied, getting frustrated again. "This is certainly getting us no where!"

"Kiba, that's not the kind of attitude I expect from a Chuunin like you. We'll just return and submit our reports to Hokage-sama. Hopefully Gai's team will have better luck than us." Kurenai scolded Kiba.

"Alright, I guess that's the best we can do for now. I've tended to Akamaru's wounds so let's head back to Konoha." Kiba said. His wounds didn't hurt so much now and he started to make his way back. "Hopefully we get a more exciting mission next time."

"…He never changes." Shino commented, as the team followed Kiba back to Konoha.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A ninja wearing a brown cloak navigated skilfully through a long series of tunnels in the underground lair, dispelling the seals that blocked his way and deterred anyone who tried to enter uninvited. Reaching his destination, he greeted his master who was hidden behind a screen door. Through the screen, his master asked, " I trust you got rid of the unwanted elements? Those two Konoha ninjas could be a hindrance to our goal."

" Yes I have. I have disposed of their dead bodies by feeding them to my pets. The men I brought along stayed behind to deal with any Konoha scum who tries to look for their friends."

"Good, no one must interfere." The master replied.

Before the cloaked ninja could take his leave, another ninja entered the room and greeting the master, gave his report. " The ninjas sent to retrieve the treasure you desire have failed. Now Konoha has sent two teams of ninjas to investigate Rain Village. News has it that the ninjas we sent to deal with the second team were thrashed. The first team of Konoha ninjas also defeated Brownie's useless team while emerging unscathed." The ninja pointed an accusing finger at the now fuming cloaked ninja.

"You crazy monkey! My name's not Brownie and my team was probably too overconfident."

"Excuses, excuses. And don't call me a monkey! I don't even look like one, Brownie."

"Silence!" The voice lashed out like a whip. The two bickering ninjas immediately shut their mouths as the temperature of the room dropped drastically and icicles started to form on the ceiling. It was a sure sign that their master was angry and nobody dared to face the master's wrath.

" So our mission has received some unwanted attention. Well, we will just have to sidetrack them a little. Ninjas, keep a close watch on these Konoha visitors but do not attempt to fight them. We have lost enough fighting strength as it is. Now leave me alone to think of how to deal with the present situation. We will have a meeting tomorrow evening to discuss the matter. Don't forget to inform the other two elites and late arrivals are not tolerated." With that, the ninjas bowed and took their leave, resuming their argument once out of the master's presence.

The master sighed as he watched two of his elites walk out of the room. Obtaining the orb proved to be harder than he had imagined. It took him years to locate the whereabouts of the orb and now that he had located it, he had to deal with the meddlesome Konoha ninjas. Not only that, he had to be weary of the experiment, named 'lizard boy', that escaped his clutches fifteen years ago. He could never tell if lizard boy was dead and lizard boy's very existence could jeopardise his operations.

The master settled down into his meditative position and calmed his nerves. He would get the orb at all costs and if those irritants planned to stop him, well, let's just say that no one ever survived after facing him and the four elites in battle. The master smiled to himself and let out an evil laugh, craving for the day he had absolute power, more power than he ever had before…

Editor's Notes: My sister's attempts at fluff are sometimes painful to read. But that might be because I'm strictly a NaruHina fan.


	6. Chapter 6: Emotions inside

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Author's notes: This chapter reveals the names of the sadistic sensei and his students/gakkyuus. I'll have to study like mad for the coming O'level exams, so I'll be posting up the next few chapters less frequently, probably once a month if I can find time. I've sketched a few pictures on what the sensei and his students look like. You can view them at the following links.

www(dot)deviantart(dot)com(slash)deviation(slash)19545161  
www(dot)deviantart(dot)com(slash)deviation(slash)20149638  
www(dot)deviantart(dot)com(slash)deviation(slash)20149713  
www(dot)deviantart(dot)com(slash)deviation(slash)20149807

Chap 6: Emotions inside

Gai's team was refreshed and raring to go when the first rays of the sun started to warm the forest up. Packing their bags and clearing off the last of their breakfast, they resumed their journey once again.

"So far the Rain Nins haven't tried to battle with us yet so we need as great a head start as we can get. Is no rest stop till lunch fine with everyone?" Gai asked his team.

"No problem Sensei, we are youths remember. We don't need to rest that much." Lee happily answered.

"That's fine by me." Neji said, turning to Tenten. "But will you be able to keep up with us?" Neji challenged Tenten.

Not one to admit defeat, Tenten smiled sweetly at Neji and said," Why not. After all I have trained with Gai-Sensei and Lee-san. I can run many laps without any difficulty."

" Yeah but we always lap you about seven to eight times." Lee added.

"I still complete the runs eventually. That's besides the point, seriously guys, I can manage." Tenten replied.

"Then it's settled. We shall travel non-stop towards Rain Village territory and devise a plan to snoop around as we go along. Onwards, my energetic shinobis!" Gai cheered his team on as he bounded off.

"If you feel too tired, tell us." Neji whispered to Tenten. Tenten felt glad that Neji was concerned for her well-being. He certainly is a good pal. She started seeing him in a different light. "It's okay, thanks for being concerned." Tenten said as she grinned at Neji.

" Well it won't do to have a half-dead teammate when the Rain Nins start to attack again," smirked Neji as he maintained his calm composure. Tenten's face changed completely and she muttered under her breath, "Darn it, to think I actually thought Neji-kun was concerned about me."

Neji looked at his fuming teammate and inside, he was laughing to himself. He enjoyed teasing her but never overdid it for he didn't want to crush her feelings. He just felt glad that Tenten actually responded to him when he poked fun at her or chatted with her. She somehow reached out to his lonely heart that used to only contain hatred towards the Head clan. When he met Naruto and forgave the Head of his Clan, he slowly opened up more and realised how important his friends were, especially Tenten, who was his trusty training partner.

" Neji-kun, if I faint or anything, you would have to carry me so you'd better be more encouraging." Tenten told Neji.

"Fine. You are just like us guys so you can definitely keep up." Neji said.

"Ah! I give up." Tenten said exasperated. Neji smiled to himself. _Tenten looks so cute when she acts like that._

"We'd better pick up our speed or Sensei and Lee will leave us behind in their dust." Neji told Tenten. Just as Tenten was about to reply, she accidentally tripped on a tree branch. Neji, quick as a flash, caught her before her face touched the floor. Tenten heaved a sigh of relief. As she looked up, she saw that Neji was holding her a little longer than was necessary. She blushed, "Ano…Neji-kun? I'm fine now so maybe you could let go?"

Realising that he was still holding her, he let go and Tenten got back onto her feet. "We'd better hurry. Gai-sensei and Lee-san are almost cone from our view." Neji muttered as he chased after their other two teammates.

Tenten quickly followed suit for she didn't want to be left behind. What just happened just now? She scolded herself for being so clumsy but she actually enjoyed being caught by Neji. _His hands felt so strong and warm…no stop it Tenten, for heavens sake, you are on a very important mission. Concentrate on the task at hand, not how strong and great Neji is._ Tenten could still feel herself blushing and her face was flushed but she pushed away all her weird thoughts and rushed to catch up with her teammates.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Kurara, concentrate on hitting your targets at the same spot!" _Easier said than done _she thought to herself. Her sensei had suddenly had a brilliant idea to train them using a homemade missile launcher which fired off hollow shells, charged with fire by her sensei. _Weren't the metal discs sufficient to train us with? _Kurara made use of the temporary respite to reflect. _I can't believe he actually told us that the change would be better for the environment because the shells can be reused, as compared to the discs. When did he become an environmental ambassador, anyway?_

Her Sensei resumed launching missiles at her from various directions. He had charged the projectiles such that a direct hit would immediately extinguish the flames within. Kurara was doing a fine job of hitting all the missiles thrown at her but her accuracy was less than ideal. Her kunais often hit just the edge of the missile which, though preventing the missiles from hitting her, deflected them straight back to her Sensei, still charged. This caused her sensei to make undignified dodges in order to avoid the deflected missiles, and partake of strange poses in order to extinguish them before they hit the ground.

"You don't want to destroy the face of your very handsome sensei now do you?" Her sensei told Kurara, causing her to roll her eyes at his egotistic remark. "Now let's take it from the top."

"Sensei, I can use my bloodlimit to fight, cha. Why do I need to train with the kunais? I hardly use them, cha." Kurara complained as she gathered the kunais lying on the ground.

"Imagine you using your blood limit with an accuracy like that. You'll electrocute your poor sensei if we all battle together. And then, you'll ruin my good looks."

"Now that's a thought." Kurara's brother interrupted as he entered the training room. "Your face can't be any more distorted than it already is, cha."

"Merubin! Finished spying already? You wouldn't know beauty even if it hit you right in your face. Anyway, what did you find out? What of Konoha's other team?" His sensei asked.

"Well, the team of Makendo's that killed two of Konoha's Jounins tried to attack the Konoha team investigating their disappearance, cha. But this time they were seriously outclassed; so Makendo's Nins lost the fight, cha. However, the loss was probably due to the fact that the elite leading the team was missing, cha. That team seem to be headed back to Konoha. I only caught the last part of the battle, cha, so I don't really know what happened at first." Merubin relayed his report to his sensei.

"That's fine. So Makendo's Nins were slaughtered once again. He's not going to be very happy, that's for sure. I wonder what he is planning now. We must always keep a sharp eye on Makendo. Now that Makendo has found out about the orb, he'll stop at nothing to have it in his possession. Man, he's a tough cookie to crack. I can never tell what he's going to do next. However my gakkyuus, there is no hurry, after all we're still fit and young so we'll bid our time and strike when we get the chance."

"Sensei, are you sure you are young, cha? You seem to have a wrinkle on your forehead, not to mention those hairs that seem to be turning grey…" Merubin cheekily replied.

"Ah, is it not time for you to train with your sister your Jutsus? Or would you rather come with me into the kitchen…" His sensei said as he gave Merubin a sly smile.

Merubin quickly rushed to his sister's side and helped her clear the place so that they could work on their Jutsus. "Kurara needs me to train with her if you don't mind, cha."

"Glad to see that you are such a caring brother." His sensei's words just dripped with sarcasm. "Gakkyuus, we shall be facing the Konoha team that is headed to Rain Village. So prepare yourselves as we need to source out how good that team is. Then we'll get rid of them. We'll slowly remove the elements that stand in our way of getting the orb. Gakkyuus, I'll be in the study if you need me." With that, their sensei left them to train their Jutsus. He trusted them to put in their best during every training session and now allowed them to train on their own.

Over the years his students had improved their fighting skills and he could safely say that they could handle a few of Makendo's Nins if they ever encountered them. But to face the elites and Makendo himself, was a different matter altogether. Hai… he'd just have to figure out how to stay out of Makendo's reach until he got the orb. Then he and his gakkyuus would defeat Makendo and his cronies once and for all. Makendo would get his just desserts for killing his beloved sensei and almost ruining his entire life through the dreadful experiments. He vowed that he would personally end Makendo's life and get his revenge for his sensei.

Settling down into his armchair in the study, the sensei, Chaaruzu, picked up an old picture of him with his sensei and sighed. Makendo did not know what pain the boy he conducted experiments upon had endured. The physical scars had slowly healed over the years though the effects of the experiment such as the scaly skin still persisted, but the emotional scars never fully recovered. How could his great sensei be taken away from him? Chaaruzu didn't have any family members other then his sensei. His real parents were killed when he was only a few months old and his sensei took him in and raised him like his own son.

As he flipped through some scrolls on his desk, he remembered how his gentle sensei taught him to fight and the times they spent together. They had lived in a small hut in the forest, as his sensei was an outcast of the Rain Village. That didn't bother him, he was happy just to train with his sensei. But that all changed when Makendo attacked his sensei and killed him. Chaaruzu tried to stop them but failed. Instead he was taken prisoner and made into a guinea pig, a test experiment. At that time, Chaaruzu wished that they had killed him there and then, thereby ending his misery, but Makendo believed that being a child prodigy, merging his talents with that of a lizard demon could serve his twisted needs.

Fortunately he escaped together with the lizard demon and started a new life outside, making sure to stay hidden from Makendo. He then found his two gakkyuus and decided to take them in for he saw a bit of his own sad life in them. Devoting his life to looking after his gakkyuus and obtaining the orb, Chaaruzu swore that Makendo would regret the day he made Chaaruzu an experiment instead of killing him. However, he kept a sunny disposition for his sensei told him that 'Happiness is the key to success' and there was always something in life to laugh about, especially since his gakkyuus were very fun to be with.

"Ano sensei?" Kurara poked her head into the study room. "While practising the Jutsus, we erm, made a hole in the roof…"

Smiling at Kurara, Chaaruzu got out of his chair and started to make his way to the training room. There was never a dull moment with those two around. "Well I can fix the hole with no problem, but you know what happens next don't you?" Chaaruzu grinned widely at Kurara as he walked to the Training room.

"Uh oh," Kurara quickly rushed to tell her brother that their sensei and his concoctions waiting for them in the kitchen.

Chaaruzu studied the hole in the roof. Hmm, so his gakkyuus had definitely improved a lot. It was about time he taught them new Jutsus. "I see that you both have advanced in your training, so instead of tasting my delicious concoctions I shall teach you all new stuff."

"Phew." His gakkyuus heaved a sigh of relief and eagerly waited for their sensei to show them new skills they could apply in battle…

**Editor's Notes**: Hmm… I barely had to do anything for this chapter, other than touching up the grammar. A good sign.Maybe my sister's writing is getting better.Looking at the reviews this story has been getting, I think a response is in order so…

**_Shang: _**I apologise for Shino's less than brilliant fight scene. I was feeling lazy at the time and Shino isn't exactly a writer's dream come true when it comes to fights. But it really fell short of my usual standards and I have no intention of letting it happen again. Though from your comments, does it mean you found Gai's team's battle good? One last thing, NARUHINA 4EVER!


	7. Chapter 7: Chaaruzu's Traps

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Author's notes: With Prelim 1 over, I have enough time to complete this chapter. It was mostly done by my brother as it consists of mainly scenes which describes the skills of a ninja.

I refer to fieryflight's review on the sudden development of Neji and Tenten's relationship and though I feel that Neji and Tenten's relationship isn't too far off from when the group recovered from the hospital after failing to bring back Sasuke, I believe that a prelude would be able to fill in the tiny gaps better. So either my brother or I shall write a one-shot or a short fic based on events that happened and show how Neji and Tenten get closer to each other. When we do get the prelude up, we'll inform you all through the author/editor's notes.

Well this is the longest chapter done to date and I hope you will all enjoy it.

Chapter 7: Chaaruzu's Traps

Kurenai's team arrived back at Konoha and immediately went to report to the Fifth. When they entered her office, Tsunade was resting on her desk, tired from completing her tasks as a Hokage and training her newly acquired student, Sakura.

Kurenai gently eased the Fifth awake using mild genjutsu, knowing well her usual reaction to being suddenly awoken, and presented the items they took from the ninjas who had attacked them.

"The two ninjas you sent to the Hidden Village of the rain two weeks ago were deterred by a group of ninjas working under some organisation that uses this emblem found on the items they were carrying with them. Their bodies were not found though we found faint traces of their blood in the forests leading to the Hidden Village of the Rain. Their true motive is unknown though the ninjas seem bent on not letting us go to the Rain Village. I strongly believe that they are somehow linked to the attack on Konoha and the item they covet from our village. We were attacked by six Rain Nins which we took down without much difficulty as we investigated the area two of our Jounins supposedly died at. We then returned having completed our mission and finding out that the ninjas' disappearance was because Rain Ninjas killed them. We also have reason to believe that their leader is very powerful for the team we fought were not very skilled and the leader probably took down the two Jounins with little help from the others. That's the end of our report."

"So the two Jounins were actually killed by the Rain Nins. Well, you've completed your mission. I shall inform you if I get any more information on the Rain ninjas." With that, Tsunade dismissed the team. The team took their leave and discussed among themselves on what Gai's team might be doing now...

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Gai's team had been travelling for some time now and they were fast approaching the first of many traps a certain crafty ninja had laid for them. Chaaruzu and his gakkyuus had finished their latest training session and proceeded to where Chaaruzu had laid the first trap for Gai's team in order to test the team's skills and spot their weaknesses.

Chaaruzu was a very cautious man who always tried to find out more about his opponents in order to have an advantage in battle. He was also a little twisted, and often did things unconventionally, giving him an edge in terms of the element of surprise.

Gai's team proved to be a threat to his goals, a threat he and his gakkyuus must get rid of. He was in no rush, destroying the Konoha team wasn't immediate, and anyway, he was dying to have some fun with them. It was not often he got to meet strong opponents like them and he was sure his gakkyuus could use a little experience themselves.

"Are we almost there yet, cha?" Merubin asked his master, as Chaaruzu and his gakkyuus sailed through the sky on the clouds towards the area where the trap was laid. Riding on the clouds was one of the benefits of having gakkyuus with such a bloodlimit.

"Patience my gakkyuu, we'll arrive there before the Konoha team will. Just a little further down and we'll reach the perfect spot to sit back and enjoy a little entertainment in store for us. I'm sure you'll both enjoy watching how they manage to overcome our little challenge, if they even manage to don't you? Man, I love the unpredictability of reality shows, especially if they were designed by a genius like me!" Chaaruzu said proudly, oblivious to the puking sounds his gakkyuus were making.

"Won't they spot us in up in our clouds, cha?" Kurara asked.

"Sis, don't worry, cha. People seldom look at the clouds these days, cha. Even if they do, they can't see us camouflaged among the clouds and no body checks the clouds for any lifeforms anyway, cha." Merubin assured his sister.

Reaching their watch spot, Kurara asked, "Master, you sure they will come, cha? They might take another route..."

"Nope, I've checked and this is the route they will take, trust me. I've lived in this forest for most of my life and from a ninja's point of view, this is the fastest way to reach Rain Village. Also I tracked the team and they would be headed this way shortly. So just relax gakkyuus for you are now in the hands of a very talented traps master."

"Master, if you don't stop trying to praise yourself for talents you do not possess, you will find your gakkyuus vomiting rain all over the place, cha." Merubin replied in response to his master's comment. Kurara nodded in agreement.

"You don't know good talent when you see it. Never mind, once the game begins you will see the true mastery unfold. Trap level one, 'things flying at your heads'. Watch and learn..." Chaaruzu trailed off as he waited for Gai's team to appear. Chaaruzu's enthusiasm must have been contagious as his gakkyuus smiled and waited in eager anticipation for the fun to begin. It was going to be one heck of a reality show for them to enjoy.

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Meanwhile Gai's team was almost at the area of Chaaruzu's traps, with Gai leading the way. Cautious as always, Neji stopped his team and scanned the area with Byakkugan, but finding nothing amiss, he signalled to the rest of his team to continue, this time with him in the lead. They moved along swiftly and silently from branch to branch, wanting to make it to Hidden Rain as quickly as possible. But in doing so, they set off Chaaruzu's trap, which had been designed to activate the moment the slightest of vibrations was detected in an area of trees. Still unaware of that fact, the team moved on, until Neji suddenly turned around and pushed his entire team to the ground, narrowly avoiding a silent hail of needles overhead.

Having not seen the needles, Rock Lee immediately took Neji to task loudly for what he deemed an uncalled for action. His voice set off a chain reaction, as the traps had been set to fully activate the moment both movement and sound were detected. Neji was about to explain his action to Lee when he sensed danger yet again. This time, the rest of his team felt it as well. A shower of kunais appeared from the bushes, to be met with a similar number thrown by Tenten, effectively negating the threat.

The team then leaped swiftly to their right, as darts dropped directly onto the area where they had been previously. Still moving in the same direction, all reacted instinctively when a number of arrows came speeding in their direction. But the arrows missed by quite some distance, and they were wondering why when explosions heralded the presence of explosive tags.

_Kuso! _The same thought ran through all of their minds. Having little time to react, each launched themselves in different directions, hoping to minimize any damage done by the explosions. As it was, only Rock Lee escaped without injury as the rest suffered minor burns. Regrouping, the team stayed on the alert for further traps. Hearing the faintest of sound nearby, they threw themselves flat, just in time to avoid a deadly shower of... potatoes.

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Within the cloud, all three ninjas sweat-dropped.

"Oh dear, there goes dinner." Chaaruzu said sadly, shaking his head. "I must have accidentally loaded the final trap with the wrong sack. Which means that the menu for tonight happens to be boiled shurikens. Somehow, I don't think that's quite edible so we might have to take instant ramen later."

His gakkyuus remained stunned, amazed by his near indifference to misloading his trap. _He loaded a trap with potatoes and instead of cursing his mistake, he's more concerned about not having potatoes for dinner? _Kurara thought to herself. Merubin's mind barely registered any thoughts. Though despite their shock, sarcasm still found its way through to the surface of their minds.

"Somehow, I think the boiled shurikens taste better than some of the stuff you usually cook up, cha." Merubin commented. Upon seeing his sensei grin broadly, he immediately continued, "...but that doesn't mean I want to try eating metal for tonight's dinner!"

Kurara snickered at her brother's predicament. To Merubin's relief, Chaaruzu's attention returned to the traps.

"Oh well, that was only the first set of traps. There's still one more batch, much more advanced than those you've just seen. From what I've seen so far, that team is fairly decent, but how skilled they really are will only come to light when they encounter my second level of traps. If they pass that, then..." Chaaruzu's tongue flicked out and his face took on a demonic grin. "we take them out personally."

His gakkyuus shared the same malicious expressions. They looked forward to testing themselves in an actual battle.

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"I still can't believe we dodged a volley of _potatoes_!" Neji muttered. "And I don't quite understand how the trap's activation points were not picked up by my Byakkugan."

"Your bloodlimit is not all-powerful, Neji, and you must remember that. Look what happened to the Uchiha when they kept such a mindset." Gai reminded him. "We are obviously dealing with skilled foes now. I suspect those traps will not be the last. Keep on guard."

They proceeded with extreme caution, not knowing that the the next layer of traps was already set to activate after a given period of time following the first. Thus, their caution was rather redundant as they would be caught in the traps even if they brazenly trampled through the forest.

All of a sudden, Gai stopped the team.

"Something doesn't feel right. Neji, does your bloodlimit show you anything out of the ordinary?" Gai urgently queried Neji.

"No, nothing." Neji replied.

Gai pondered for a moment, with one arm briefly raised to tell his team to remain motionless. "Neji, do you remember what the limitations of the Byakkugan are?" Gai asked again.

Neji thought for a while. "I believe that the only limitations to the Byakkugan's range of vision are its 1o blind spot and its inability to see underground."

_Inability to see underground... _Gai thought to himself, before bending down to examine the forest floor in front of him. Something seemed amiss. The leaf-strewn patch of undergrowth looked like any other, but it looked rather... neat. Gai decided to test his hypothesis. "Tenten, throw one of your weapons onto that patch of forest floor."

"Yes, Gai-sensei!" Tenten replied. Reaching into her backpack, she flung a scythe in the direction of the patch her sensei indicated. The scythe had a chakra string attached to it, which in turn was held fast by Tenten's hand. The blade struck the undergrowth with the distinct sound of metal clashing against metal. Tenten drew the weapon back to her hand.

Neji scanned the forest floor again to discover nothing. Tenten noticed his growing frustration and placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. Neji started noticeably, momentarily forgetting his irritation. Tenten quickly withdrew her hand, blushing furiously. _Why on earth was Neji looking at me like that?_ To cover up her embarrassment, she quickly replied," Maybe the person who set the traps is not here. He could have left the traps here and disappeared."

Oblivious to the fact that Tenten had blurted out her words unthinkingly due to embarrassment, Rock Lee said loudly, "Tenten-san, have you not grasped the situation? Neji-san is not searching for the person behind the traps, he is searching for the traps themselves!"

His fellow shinobi ignored him. Lee looked about to add to his previous outburst, but was silenced by a look from Gai. "There is evidently something metallic down there. I suspect the layer of leaves is the reason why nothing is showing up in your Byakkugan, Neji. What do you think?"

Neji's response was to signal the rest to move away.

"Hakkeshou Kaiten!" (Swirling Wind Rotation)

The tornado created by Neji's spinning soon began to clear both the leaves and the soil. Neji ceased his rotation, and waited for the debris to clear. As the soil settled, the rest of his team moved forward to join him. A number of caltrops gleamed in the afternoon sunlight.

"So they laid the caltrops, covered them with a thick layer of soil, and then placed leaves over that. I think that their leader must be something of a perfectionist, because the leaves were placed rather neatly. It was what gave me my initial suspicions. Lucky for us." Gai said soberly. The patch of caltrops stretched for quite a distance, based on the distinct neat arrangement of the fallen leaves.

Tenten used a kunai to scrape the tip of one caltrop. "It's poisoned," she said announced.

"No surprise there, I'm afraid." Gai said with uncharacteristic gravity. "We will have no choice but to continue via the treetops, since the ground cannot be tread upon. Do note that it will be more dangerous that way. Focus yourselves, if you value your lives." Thus saying, he leapt into the nearest tree, his team taking his cue and following.

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Elsewhere, Chaaruzu was grinning in an idiotic manner.

"Yes, go into the trees, my friends. Your path will be as safe as a child's playground. That is, if your average child's playground proves fatal." Chaaruzu murmured to no one in particular.

"Sensei, if not for your perfectionism, that team would probably be dying from the effects of dart frog poison by now, cha." Merubin said with a frown. His sister simply nodded her head.

"A messy trap is an unprofessional trap, as far as I'm concerned. If the leader wasn't vigilant, then regardless of the tidiness of the leaf arrangement, they would have fallen prey to the caltrops. Frankly, my instincts tell me that they are probably skilled enough to survive my traps, so prepare yourselves for battle." Chaaruzu said, his eyes still focused on the fast-moving figures just underneath the canopy.

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Contrary to popular belief, slow and steady never wins you the race. Though when watching out for danger patient movement may seem ideal, going at maximum speed actually minimized the danger faced by such threats, as the chances of evasion would be higher. Gai and his team recognized that fact, and were darting from branch to branch, their movements a blur.

All of a sudden, a long wire appeared in front of them, stretched taut at neck height. Gai had never before come so close to decapitation, saved only by the swift ducking of his head. Neji quickly transferred chakra to his right hand, preparing to sever the wire. To his horror, the wire electrified, and as his hand made contact, loosened and wrapped itself around his arm. He collapsed onto a tree branch, electricity coursing through his entire body, his arm already paralysed.

_No, Neji! _Tenten's eyes widened in shock and she quickly raised a kunai to try and cut him free. Rock Lee made a desperate leap to stop her from doing so, but his action was futile, the kunai had already made contact with the wire. Tenten immediately learned one of the physical properties of metal: Electrical Conductivity. She yelped and dropped the kunai, but some damage had already been done to her hand. Gritting her teeth, she pulled out her scythe, which had a wooden handle, and used her other hand to wield the weapon and cut Neji's arm free.

This time, Rock Lee managed to grab Tenten's arm in time before she attempted to touch Neji's badly burned arm. Neji stood up shakily, forcing the rest of the electricity out of his body through his Tenketsu. That action caused him to, for one moment, glow with electricity escaping from all over his body. Gai raised an eyebrow, Rock Lee's mouth fell open, and Tenten just smiled with relief.

Relief that was short-lived. The team suddenly found themselves in the middle of of an ever-growing cloud of gas. They quickly leapt forward, escaping from the cloud, only to find themselves in a clearing without trees. Gai recognized the same unnaturally neat arrangement of the leaves on the floor, and realized the danger they were in.

"Hachimon Tonkou: Daiichibi: Keimon: Kai!" (Eight Gates Release: Number One: View Gate: Open)

Gai's speed magnified a hundredfold, and darting side to side, he collected Lee, Neji and Tenten using his arms. Throwing himself forward with his additional burdens, he managed to land safely on a branch. His students thanked him breathlessly, as he allowed himself to calm down.

A sizzling sound soon caught his attention. The team leapt away just in time as the branch detonated, and they were caught off-guard when ropes with hooks attached emerged from the resulting smoke, evidently hidden within the branch itself. All were struck, Gai in the shoulder, Lee in the forearm, Neji in the foot and Tenten in the side. The hooks tore nasty gashes, and the wounds bled profusely. Gai quickly pulled out the one in his shoulder and examined his wound. To his relief, it appeared to free from poison. His team were performing similar actions, and their expressions mirrored his.

Then all saw an ominous shadow descending. It was Chaaruzu's masterpiece, a framework of spikes measuring ninety by ninety, each individual spike tipped with poison. It had been designed such that the victim had no means of escaping, and would even be sandwiched between the spikes and the ground-lying caltrops. Gai and his team were caught right in the centre of it.

As it fell, Gai stopped Neji, who was already in the process of running. When Neji turned to shout at his sensei, the look in Gai's eyes told him what he needed to know, that it was too late to run. Tenten looked crushed, as if having already accepted her fate. Gai turned to Rock Lee and nodded, receiving the same from his student.

"Hachimon Tonkou: Daini: Keimon: Kai!" (Eight Gates Release: Number Two: View Gate: Open)

"Konoha Daisenpuu!" (Konoha's Great Whirlwind)

"Hachimon Tonkou: Dairoku: Keimon: Kai!" (Eight Gates Release: Number Six: View Gate: Open)

"Konoha Gourikki Senpuu!" (Konoha's Strong Whirlwind)

Both Taijutsu fighters opened Celestial Gates, and used the resulting chakra to land powerful kicks onto the spiked frame. It broke into three separate pieces, each piece flying off in a different direction. Gai landed serenely, as compared to Lee's rather awkward collapse onto the branch. He was unused to accessing such a large amount of chakra.

"I think that's the last of the traps. People tend to like to finish with a bang. But just in case it isn't, Neji, you stand guard while Tenten treats your wounds. I know you are fully capable of doing it yourself, but we need at least one pair of eyes to be on sentry duty. After you finish with him, Tenten, treat your own. Rock Lee and I can handle ours by ourselves." Gai said to his team.

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Chaaruzu was clapping his hands softly, smiling. What he just saw in action impressed him a lot. To think that he, the master of traps, had had his most brilliant trap to date foiled in such a spectacular manner. He was starting to take a liking to the Konoha Team. "Marvellous, I never expected anyone to be able to not only escape my spike-caltrop sandwich, but smash the spikes on top of it. That lot took me three days to construct. Yes, I believe you will provide me some entertainment later."

He then addressed his students. "Merubin, Kurara, we will meet them in that large expanse of clearing two hundred metres from their current position. Get ready, those young students appear to be rather talented. The person with more injuries at the end will get a taste of Chaaruzu's Special Jack Fruit Brew."

His gakkyuus nodded in compliance, shuddering slightly at the thought of their sensei's drink. The cloud began to travel slowly toward the area indicated by their sensei, and the time of confrontation grew near.

Editor's Note: We took our time, didn't we? Least it's done now. In case you were wondering about what a caltrop is, though I'm sure you can infer somewhat from the story, here's the definition:

**caltrop: **_a device with four metal points so arranged that when any three points are on the ground the fourth projects upward as a hazard to anyone or anything passing over._

I may have mixed up the Celestial Gates, so if you find any mistake, do state such in your review. Though it would seem that this fic only has one faithful reader, based on the reviews coming in. Do review after reading, even if said review consists of a few words, it's still something. But by saying the above, I'm presuming that people even read, do I presume too much? Anyway, many thanks for your reviews so far, Shang!


	8. Chapter 8: Makendo Muse

Disclaimer: I am not of sufficient genius to claim credit for the creation of Naruto.

Editor's Notes: My sister (the original author) was unable to work on this chapter due to examination commitments, so out of the kindness in my heart, and partly because I was bored to death, I agreed to help her out. OC development has never been one of my strong points, but that's what she wants me to do so...

Chapter 8: Makendo Muse

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It was late evening. A respected citizen of the Rain strolled amiably down the street. As he passed by, several villagers greeted him, to which he responded cheerfully. After all, was he not the well-liked owner of a shop selling gardening supplies? Few would have guessed that he was not all that he seemed, that he was the ringleader of a notorious group.

Slipping into one of the many dark alleys found in the village, Makendo formed several complicated hand seals, dispelling the genjutsu concealing his hideout. He acknowledged the guards who immediately snapped to attention at his entrance, and proceeded down the path which led to the boardroom. _At least these fellows were awake. Just last week, I caught one pair of guards napping and another playing poker. They even had the cheek to ask me if I wanted to join in._ Makendo reflected briefly.

He took calm measured steps, with no sign as to his feeling any emotion other than serenity. He was slightly late for his meeting with his elites, but what of it? Business keeping him back was nothing unusual, and the elites had been instructed to begin the meeting should he be absent at the appointed time.

His pleasant facade when in the Rain Village was a tiresome but necessary course of action. The authorities were lax and would never bother to search for his hideout. But he could not spend 24/7 in his hideout, so he had to ensure that he was a familiar sight to the villagers. No one outside of his organization knew his true identity as the leader of a band of mercenaries, and those who knew would never betray him for to do so was to court doom. But the group had not received any new recruits for some time, and thanks to the general incompetence of his men, their numbers were on a decline.

Attempts to create ultimate warriors had failed as well, most notably the experiment which produced that reptilian creation. Well, that could not really be called a failure, as the intended result had been produced, but the subject had escaped, and was now a niggling irritant in Makendo's side. The desire for revenge was futile, in Makendo's opinion, for even with his current depleted group, he was more than strong enough to take out a lone crusader and perhaps a few friends.

As Makendo made the final turn which would take him to the boardroom, he reflected on the situation at hand. _The orb remains in Konoha, and I suspect no one there even knows what it is, let alone where it is. Thanks to the failed experiment's presence in the area my elites and I cannot risk leaving the Rain, or the hideout may be infiltrated. Without some form of leadership, my group would collapse._

Nearing the room, Makendo could hear faint murmurs from within. _Good, they have begun._

Suddenly, a brown object was flung out of the boardroom and whizzed past Makendo's shoulder. Frowning, Makendo entered the boardroom as one of his elites emerged to retrieve the unidentified flying object. The remaining three froze, both literally and figuratively, as the temperature of the room dropped to a dangerous level and Makendo gave them an icy glare.

"What just happened here? I believe this was supposed to be a _formal meeting_! Somehow I suspect that what you were doing five minutes ago has little to do with serious discussion!" Makendo said with a hint of anger in his voice. _Surprise, surprise! Those fools never get anything done unless I'm there to supervise it! _Makendo rolled his eyes.

The three elites looked at each other uncertainly, each hoping the other would say something. Makendo sighed and pointed to the one closest to him, who immediately straightened up and tucked a strand of his shoulder-length blond hair behind his ear. "Joi," Makendo intoned evenly, "I have always believed you to be the most sensible and clear-headed of my elites. Please don't prove me wrong and give me a clear account of what just happened."

"Well..." Joi's face took on an expression of deep thought. "We began the meeting by discussing the course of action to take against that failed lizard experiment. Then we got kinda distracted when Hakuai tried to show us his 'incredible' juggling skills."

Returning with the object safely stowed in his pocket, Hakuai was in time to hear the last of Joi's recount. Smiling sheepishly, he returned to his seat. Makendo simply shook his head in frustration. "Hakuai, can you for one moment stop fooling around and keep your mind on important matters?"

The spiky-haired elite shrugged. "Can't be helped, sir, it's part of my nature. Besides, it's not like they didn't want to be entertained..."

The other three glared at him. They wanted no part of the blame. He smiled sweetly in return, ducking quickly to avoid a shuriken thrown at him by the brown-haired, cold-eyed ninja sitting directly across the table. "Nyah! Kibou, you can't throw for nuts!"

"Kuso! Why, you little..." Kibou would have leaped the length of the table if his legs had not been cemented to the ground by a layer of ice.

"That will be enough, you two. We have more important things to take care of," Makendo said, trying to control his growing fury. "And if you intend to say something along the lines of 'Juveniles", Feishu, I suggest you keep it to yourself."

The purple-haired elite whom Makendo's last statement was directed at glanced at his leader, surprised that he had read his mind. He wisely took the advice, though his ever-present scowl deepened slightly. The other three composed themselves, to Makendo's relief. He released Kibou's legs from their icy prison.

"Now that all of you have settled down, let us begin the meeting proper." Makendo took his seat and addressed his elites, "What news of the failed experiment?"

"Last month, while my group and I were hunting down the deserter, we came across the experiment in the forest outside the Rain. I believe he has marked out that area as his territory. He was with two kids, who had bolt-like symbols under their eyes. Since we were in no hurry to kill the deserter, he was only a chuunin after all, I ordered my group to attack the trio. But it suddenly began raining heavily, and they escaped in the confusion. Man, he got lucky that time!" Hakuai said.

"Luck had nothing to do with it, I believe," Makendo said, almost to himself. "There was once a clan who possessed a bloodlimit which allowed them to control rain. But they were wiped out by the shinobi-gatana. Perhaps those two are the sole survivors. I wonder how the experiment managed to befriend them? No matter, if there are only three of them, then they pose little threat to us."

"There's also those annoying nins from Konoha." Feishu put in.

"Ah yes, I almost forgot. That group of four who managed to take out a few of our men. They are still in the forested region outside of the Rain, in the experiment's territory." Makendo mused aloud. "When a wise man has two sets of enemies coming against him, he does not waste his team fighting a war on two fronts. Instead he slips out of the way," Makendo grinned imperceptibly, "and lets them kill each other."

His elites caught on and nodded. "So you want us to keep a low profile for now?" Joi inquired.

"Indeed. Now on to the most important matter, the obtaining of the great orb." Makendo said, "We have traced it to Konoha, and ascertained that Sarutobi did not pass on any knowledge of it before he died. Both an advantage and a disadvantage to us, since the orb will not be defended, but it also means we will have to search from scratch."

"Perhaps I should go into Konoha on a reconnaissance mission, sir?" Kibou asked.

Makendo shook his head. "You will attract too much attention. I think it will be better if we send in a spy." Clapping twice, he called one of his men over. "Tell Surai that her presence is ordered." Bowing, the man exited.

"Now, we wait. Any objections to her going to Konoha to look for the orb?" Makendo questioned his elites. They shook their heads, knowing well Surai's ability.

Two minuted later, the person in question arrived. Dressed simply, with a pouch holding her gear, Surai bowed to her masters within. "You called, sirs?"

"Yes, indeed, we have a mission for you. Enter Konoha and see how much information regarding the location of the great orb you can dig up. As usual, stay out of trouble, since your fighting skills are still somewhat lacking." Makendo told her.

"As you wish." Giving a final bow, she exited the room.

"With that, I believe our meeting can be concluded. Remember all that we have discussed today. Should I wish to speak to any of you, I will inform you through a messenger. Now, I believe, it is time for the four of you to train?" Makendo said as he stood up.

"That's right, sir. If you'll excuse us, we'll be off to the training grounds." Joi spoke for the rest as they left to hone their combat skills. Makendo slowly walked to his room and picked up a copy of Icha Icha Paradise.

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Gai's team emerged from the heavily forested region and found themselves in a large expanse of clearing. Their wounds had healed, and they had passed through the last stretch of forest unscathed. Neji scanned the area with his Byakkugan, but saw nothing but clouds and the occasional bird.

"We're not far from the Rain Village now, team. It looks as if the people who set the traps are not going to bother us any further." Gai said confidently.

"Isn't that a pity, Gai-sensei. We do not get to show them the power of our fires of youth!" Rock Lee bounded up and struck a pose next to his teacher. Neji and Tenten sweat-dropped.

"We should be thankful that we do not have to face any adversaries before reaching the Rain, Lee-kun. How can you think that it is a disappointment?" Tenten asked.

"Exactly, we nearly got killed by the traps and you want to face the ones who set them?" Neji added.

"Neji-san, Tenten-san, why the lack of enthusiasm? We must educate those villains on how our fires of youth can overcome anything they throw at us! Isn't that right, Gai-sensei?" Lee answered, still rich with enthusiasm.

"You are so right, my student. Just watching you brings tears to my eyes!" Gai sniffed.

"Now that's just wrong, cha!" A voice came from over their heads. The team immediately dropped into battle positions. Neji again used his Byakkugan, but still failed to pick up anything above them other than clouds.

"Who's there? Show yourselves!" Lee shouted out.

Before their eyes, a large cloud descended to the ground. It gradually dissipated, revealing Chaaruzu, Kurara and Merubin. "All of a sudden, no more weird behaviour, cha?" Merubin asked innocently.

Gai and Lee stared dumbly. Despite themselves, Neji and Tenten looked at each other and smiled. _So that's why my Byakkugan failed to reveal their positions, they were hiding within a cloud. I understand where they're coming from about Gai-sensei and Lee though. _Neji thought wryly.

"Oh well, you'll have plenty of time to reflect on your insecurities when you're dead, cha." Merubin said calmly.

"You three, were you the ones who set the traps?" Gai questioned, his expression level.

"That would be me. Works of art, weren't they?" Chaaruzu said proudly.

"What have you got against us?" Gai asked a second question.

"You're interfering with our plans," Chaaruzu answered calmly. "So if we're going to be able to continue, you and your team must die first."

"Rather cocky, aren't you?" Neji finally spoke up. "We'll see who really ends up dying. In case you haven't noticed, you're outnumbered."

"My friend, I have every right to be cocky," Chaaruzu said with a smile. "And numbers are irrelevant. Our victory is assured."

"I'm sick of your arrogance!" Neji said angrily. "Time for you and your two companions to die!" Saying thus, he motioned for his team to attack. Taking the lead, he attempted to hit Kurara with a palm strike. To his amazement, it suddenly began raining above her, and she vanished, only to appear several paces back. The area stricken by rain began to grow, covering all of them except Gai and Chaaruzu.

"Lee, Neji, Tenten!" Gai turned to enter the stormy region, but found his way blocked by Chaaruzu. The latter toyed with his mace, licking it lovingly with his long tongue.

"Your fight is with me. Your three students will be facing my two gakkyuus. Their ability to control rain should be more than enough to turn the odds in their favour." Chaaruzu said confidently.

"So be it. My students will have to wait until I am done with you." Gai took up his opening Taijutsu position. Chaaruzu grinned, his tongue flicking in and out continuously.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Inside the stormy region, Neji, Tenten and Gai found themselves facing Kurara and Merubin.

"Your first move was to go after my sister. Don't you know that attacking a lady is bad form, cha?" Merubin asked in jest.

"How is it the rain suddenly began and is only covering this region?" Tenten asked, unease evident in her voice.

"That would be our bloodlimit, sweetheart. Anything that comes out of a cloud is under our control, cha." Merubin winked roguishly at Tenten. Neji fumed.

"Baka, keep your eyes to yourself," Neji said angrily. "Bloodlimit or not, you're still going to die."

"Neji-kun, calm down," Tenten attempted to placate Neji. "We're going to need to work together if we're going to have any chance of beating these guys." Hearing her voice, Neji relaxed noticeably.

The siblings exchanged glances. "Looks like we got a pair of lovebirds here, cha?" Merubin said, suppressing a snigger.

"Certainly looks like it, cha." Kurara answered. Neji and Tenten looked away from each other, flushing slightly.

"My teammates, this is not time to be falling for opposition mind games!" Lee put in. "We must be focused when we go into battle!"

"You know what, sado-masochistic thick eyebrows is right. The time for chatting is over, now it's playtime, cha. For our first game, let's play 'Blow wind blow'!" Merubin smirked.

"With pleasure, aniki." Kurara answered, a similar expression on her face.

Neji, Tenten and Lee braced themselves for the attack to come.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

And so ends my chapter. My sister will probably be able to do the next one, and normal business will resume. And rest assured, I have no intention of doing OCxTenten, my sister will give me no end of bother if I even dared to consider such a thought. Merubin was just using the word casually.

**_Taijutsukenka: _**I'm timing this somewhere near Naruto's return from training with Jiraiya. I do read the manga, and am still trying to figure out how ten puppets took out a hundred.


	9. Chapter 9: Initial Skirmishes

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Author's notes: O'levels are over so I can once again resume the fanfic, which is way overdue. With the introduction of Tenten's new battle tactics in the recent fillers, it'll be much more interesting to write her battle scenes. Well, here goes...

Chapter 9: Initial Skirmishes

_**Infiltrate the Konoha village and find out the great orb's location as well as any invaluable information pertaining to sneaking it away from where it lies.**_

_That seems pretty easy to do, _thought Surai to herself as she made the final preparations for her mission, with Makendo's words echoing in her mind. It was, on first glance, no more than a simple information gathering mission, though it was complicated by the lack of possible sources. Makendo had briefed her in greater detail and had warned her to expect greater trouble in searching for the desired information since the orb had entered Konoha as the result of a mission several years back, during the time of Sandaime Hokage. Few people knew about it outside of the team which brought it in and the Hokage, and since it was considered an unimportant item, they thought it unnecessary to inform others. Surai concluded that her best bet lay with the surviving elders who had been close to the Third.

Makendo was known to be generous when he got what he wanted and the price placed on this mission was no exception. Just thinking of what Makendo could offer made any mission he sent her to do well worth it. _At least he knows talent when he sees it, _she smiled as she muttered those words to herself. She briefly considered the possibility of going one step further by bringing back the orb itself in exchange for a larger reward but dismissed it after careful thought. The orb would have been classified as an artifact even as its potential as a weapon remained overlooked and was likely to be within the Hokage building, which had a heavy ANBU presence and a Godaime who was notorious for her mood swings and incredible strength.

Slinging her pack over her shoulder, she checked herself in the mirror. Her attire was nothing too extravagant, a black tunic and shorts, outfits which any typical ninja would wear. The outfit was made of light material and it enabled her to run at a swifter pace and that, when added to with her running abilities, ensured her flight from her enemies since battle was not one of her strong suits. Surai had her hair tied up in two high ponytails. Though she was in her early twenties, many mistook her to be a teenager because of her baby face and small built. Surai had used that to her advantage before; not many people whom she had mixed with to wring out the information she needed ever realized that she was a crafty spy under her facade. In fact, others had even complimented her on being such a sweet and innocent girl, something which Surai would think back to and laugh to herself about after her missions.

Surai did not need anyone to help her in her missions. She was more than capable of completing them herself. Partners only served to pull one down, and Surai had learnt it the hard way, losing both her parents ten years ago when one stopped to help the other during a mission. This had indirectly served to strengthen her resolve to never grow close to anyone, and her belief that the others around her were simply pawns to be used for her own gain. This callousness had attracted Makendo's attention, and as a result, his employment. Surai kept to herself and no one in the organization bothered her, except to employ her services. She felt lonely at times, talking to herself was no fun, but it beat being hurt by people she considered her friends.

_Stop dreaming and get on with the mission. The faster you do his bidding, the faster you can get the reward and treat yourself. _Shaking her head to break herself out of her daydream, Surai left her room and headed toward Konoha. If things worked out well, Konoha would not miss the orb. It will be a challenge to get information when hardly anyone in the village knew about the orb, but she was willing to give it her best shot, after all, challenges served to improve her skills and the reward for overcoming it was great enough for her trouble. Shifting her backpack to her other shoulder, Surai planned the moves to make when she entered Konoha.

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"Dainamikku Entori!"(Dynamic Entry)

Gai rushed at Chaaruzu and aimed a powerful kick at the his face, which was dodged with ease, then bent over backward to avoid the mace which Chaaruzu threw at his chest. Chaaruzu swiftly redirected his mace downward, expecting to land a hit, but Gai was no longer there. While bent over backward, Gai had placed his hand on the ground and flipped himself to his right. Swiftly recovering his balance, he brought his body low to deliver a sliding kick to Chaaruzu's legs, catching the latter, who had spun around and brought his mace up to guard his upper body, by surprise and causing him to fall flat on the ground. Gai wasted no time in taking advantage of Chaaruzu's defenseless state.

"Konoha Bouseki Gufuu" (Konoha's Spinning Tornado)

Leaping into the air above Chaaruzu, Gai spun his body at great speed while keeping his body straight. He then plunged vertically down at Chaaruzu, preparing to finish the battle quickly with a devastating, if not fatal, blow so that he could rush to his team's aid. But before he could make contact with Chaaruzu's prone figure and grind it into the ground with the impact, he was surprised to hear a voice below call out.

"Togetogeshii Araihada!" (Thorny Skin)

Thick spike-like objects emerged from Chaaruzu's back, piercing through the back of his clothing, forming a barrier against Gai's attack. The spikes withstood Gai's attempt to grind Chaaruzu into the ground, effectively absorbing the impact and causing it to lose momentum. When his spinning downward kick had been completely stopped, Gai sprang off Chaaruzu's back and stared uneasily at him from a few meters away. _Who or what is this person?_

The spikes sank back into Chaaruzu's back as he slowly got up. "Be assured that those are entirely natural," Chaaruzu told Gai with a grin. "The chemical composition is identical to that of my skin, so essentially, the 'spikes' are mutated extensions of my own body. Then again, my body itself isn't normal, so you have every reason to look at me suspiciously. But all things considered, I am fully human." His face darkened slightly. "Just one who had a less than pleasant childhood."

_There is something rather pitiable about this man. _Gai thought to himself. _Something terrible must have happened to him to cause his body to mutate. But it doesn't change the fact that he and his companions want us dead. So the only thing I need to worry myself about is whether this mutation gives him other advantages in battle._

"I fail to see why you are telling me this," Gai replied. "It has nothing to do with why you and your students are attacking us."

"Oh but it does," Chaaruzu said, all traces of good humour gone from his face. "You three are standing in the way of my revenge against those who did this to me." That being said, he took up a taijutsu stance, which Gai was swift to match. But to Gai's surprise, Chaaruzu suddenly dropped the stance and began forming a series of complex hand seals.

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"Blow, wind, blow. Blow all those who are... from Konoha, cha!" Merubin announced in an artificially juvenile voice

Neji ignored him, quietened his conflicting emotions and swiftly took stock of the situation. They were stuck in an area covered by heavy rain with two cocky opponents who had the power to control said rain and who knew what else. They had the advantage in numbers but that was about it His bloodlimit ensured that his vision was not obscured by the heavy rain, but his teammates were not as well off. Neji was not too worried about Lee, he could fight in his sleep for crying out loud, and was sure that the rain would not pose too much of a problem for him. But Tenten's situation was entirely different, her entire fighting style depended on weaponry, which in turn needed visibility to ensure accuracy. In short, Tenten was rendered helpless by the heavy rain, which affected both the senses needed to locate her targets; sight and hearing.

Without really thinking, Neji decided that Tenten needed protecting and that he would be the one doing it. He then caught himself and attempted to justify such a decision. _It's strictly for professional reasons, of course. She's my teammate, after all. _He realized just how lame he sounded, even to himself. _Fine, so maybe it's more than just that._ His thoughts were rudely interrupted by two voices calling out simultaneously.

"Futon: Koudai Shippuu no Jutsu" (Wind Release: Large Gale Technique)

The three of them were assaulted by a powerful and unrelenting blast of wind, which came from above and in front of them. Neji and Lee both stood their ground with some difficulty, but Tenten would have been thrown backward had she not stabbed the point of a scythe into the ground to help her balance. At length, the wind ceased.

"Meh, you guys are no fun. You barely even moved, cha!" Merubin complained.

"Yeah, you should all be disqualified..." Kurara had no time to finish her sentence, as Rock Lee came at her with an incredible burst of speed, catching her entirely by surprise.

"Konoha Daburu Hanmaa" (Konoha's Double Hammers)

Backed by the sheer speed at which he was moving, Lee threw a powerful punch at Kurara's face, who even in the process of performing a set of hand seals managed to twist her body so that the blow only grazed her shoulder. Even so, she winced noticeably at the pain which coursed through her body as a result of the hit. Lee followed up his initial punch with another equally powerful one thrown by his other hand. But by then, Kurara had completed her seals.

"Suiton: Suijinheki!" (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall)

The surrounding rainwater droplets formed themselves into a solid wall in front of Kurara, protecting her from the full brunt of Lee's attack. The punch packed so much power that it eventually forced itself through the wall of water, but by then it had lost most of its strength and Kurara easily avoided it by jumping back.

"Mizu-Shunshin no Jutsu!" (Water Body Flicker Technique)

Utilizing the rainwater falling all around her, Kurara's body blurred and appeared a great distance in front of Lee, almost too far for him to even see her. Determined to not let her get away, Lee prepared himself to bring the battle up a notch.

"Hachimon Tonkou: Daiichi: Keimon: Kai!" (Eight Gates Release: Number One: View Gate: Open)

Opening the initial gate, Lee immediately took off after his target with his increased speed. Recognizing what the siblings were trying to do, Neji desperately called out after his teammate.

"Lee, don't go after her! They're trying to separate us!" But his words were drowned out by a loud clap of thunder. Gritting his teeth, Neji waited for the sound to pass before attempting to call out again. But the moment the first word left his mouth, the thunder sounded again. Realization dawning on his face, Neji turned to glare at Merubin, who smiled sweetly in return.

"As I said, anything that comes out of a cloud is under our control, cha, even thunder, though it is something that we cannot use as a means of attack." Merubin explained calmly. "Now it seems to me pretty obvious that your girlfriend over there is badly handicapped by the rain, cha. So assuming you to be the epitome of a perfect boyfriend, you're going to have trouble protecting her as well as yourself, cha, let alone have the luxury of attacking me."

Ignoring the rush of feelings that went through her at Merubin's casual mention of Neji being her boyfriend, Tenten spoke out angrily, "I can take care of myself, thank you very much!" Placing great emphasis on the second half of her sentence, Tenten threw a handful of senbon at Merubin. Since she was still able to faintly make out his location and confirm it by the direction from which his voice was coming from, her aim was spot-on.

But the rain covering the distance between Merubin and herself suddenly became many times heavier as a result of Merubin's control. Faced with the increased resistance, Tenten's projectile clattered uselessly onto the ground.

"Not too convincing of you, cha, though I admire your accuracy even in this heavy rain." Merubin said thoughtfully.

_Projectile weapons won't work against him, he can use either the wind or the rain to deflect them. Even the senbon, which have little surface area for the rain to act one, were completely useless. I'll have to get in close, but wouldn't I then get in Neji's way, since he's the close range combat specialist? _Tenten was caught between two minds as to what to do, and it showed in her facial expression.

Ignoring the twinge of disappointment he felt when Tenten announced that she did not need his protection, Neji guessed what was going through his teammate's mind and endeavored to solve her dilemma. "Tenten-chan, we'll both go in close. But I'll take the lead." He dropped into his favored Gentle Fist fighting stance.

"Hai." Tenten's reply was concise as she readied a set of nunchuks in her hands.

"Ooh, now I'm really afraid, cha. But before you both tear me to pieces, eat this!" Merubin said sarcastically, his hands having formed the final seal necessary.

"Suiton: Shichishokuzame!" (Water Release: Seven Eating Sharks)

The rainwater formed itself into seven immense projectiles in the shape of sharks with their mouths open, which hurtled towards both Neji and Tenten. Confidently swinging her nunchuks and displaying her acrobatic prowess, Tenten quickly demolished three of the seven sharks. Moving slightly lower but by no means any less confidently, Neji took care of the other four with strategically aimed palm strikes to each.

Merubin was beginning to feel the first signs of unease, although it was not reflected on the outside. _They took care of my jutsu way too easily, cha. I'll have to increase my attack strength and more importantly, keep my distance from both, cha. I hope Kurara's doing okay._

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Temari had just finished discussing certain matters regarding ties between Konoha and Suna and was on her way to find a place for lunch. Despite being successful in forcing Shikamaru to treat her to dinner for as long as she stayed in Konoha, she was unable to obtain the same agreement for lunch, as it was a meal he ate with his team since it was during their training time.

Deciding not to opt for one of the established restaurants, Temari directed her feet towards the area of Konoha which Shikamaru had told her contained a fair number of small eateries. _That lazybones had better be correct about this. Else I'm ordering the most expensive dishes on the menu tonight._

Passing a large house, Temari heard loud laughter from within. Stealing a quick glance through the window, she saw a large group of elderly seated at a round table, engaged in conversation. _Gathering of elders, _Temari thought to herself, _drunk on sake too, by the looks of it._

Thinking nothing more of it, Temari turned to leave when her instincts told her that something was amiss, despite the peaceful scene. Still noticing nothing our of the ordinary even after surveying the area carefully, she continued on her way until she was a fair distance away from the house and unseen by anyone. Unstrapping the fan from her back, she unfurled it and swung it powerfully in the direction of the house.

"Toppuu no jutsu!" (Sudden Gust Technique)

A powerful wind, though not quite strong enough to cause any damage, hit the house and its surrounding area. _There! _A satisfied Temari thought to herself. _A section of the roof just trembled slightly. Either there's someone using a camouflage technique up there and listening to the elders' conversation or Gaara's interested in girls. But what purpose can listening to a bunch of old folk serve?_

Since she was not a Konoha shinobi, it was technically no concern of hers. But she was a diplomat sent to improve already strong ties between Suna and Konoha, and a spy was a spy, regardless of circumstance. And the camouflage technique was indeed a high level one. Besides, she was itching for something to do involving battle.

Still in her hidden location, Temari swung her fan powerfully.

"Kaze no Yaiba!" (Wind Blade)

Having adapted her sensei's technique to one which could be used by her fan, Temari sent a solid blade of wind straight at where she had perceived the spy to be.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Surai had not been very successful since entering Konoha. When she told a jounin at the scroll library that she was doing research on the Sandaime Hokage, had found insufficient information in the scrolls and so wanted to know whether she could obtain firsthand accounts of what the man was like in his lifetime, she was given directions to a house where the elders who had known Sandaime often gathered.

After finding the place, Surai concealed herself on the roof just above a window and sat down to plot her next move. Simply listening to their conversation would do her no good, the elders had lived long lives and the chances of their bringing up the one incident she needed to know about were close to zero. And the conversation was so boring and meaningless that she was likely to go insane if she had to endure much more of it.

Lost in thought, Surai was startled when a strong wind suddenly struck her, causing her to nearly lose her balance. She had not thought much when a kunoichi had earlier stopped by the house, since Surai had ascertained that she was not strong enough to see through her camouflage technique, and had ceased to think about her the moment she walked away from the house.

Regaining her balance, Surai was about to resume her pondering when she was distracted by a voice calling out.

"Kaze no Yaiba!"

Turning her head to the direction from which the voice had came, she was saved by sheer reflexes, as her body vaulted onto the ground, narrowly avoiding the blade of wind, which skimmed the top of the roof before burying itself in a nearby tree, leaving a deep gash.

"Eavesdropping on the elderly, are we?" Temari asked with a malicious grin, facing Surai whose technique had been dissipated during her fall. "I'd ask you to surrender, but that'd be no fun."

Without emotion, mentally slapping herself for letting her guard down, Surai stared at the grinning kunoichi before tossing a smoke bomb onto the ground and preparing to flee.

"A smoke bomb against a user of wind like myself? You have got to be kidding me!" Temari grumbled before clearing the smoke with one swing of her fan. But Surai had already fled, speeding along the rooftops.

"Man, she's fast!" Temari muttered to herself before giving chase.

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Editor's Notes: Took us one heck of a while, eh? Hope this was worth the wait. Though truthfully, the chapter itself didn't take long to write. We just dawdled over it for a heck of a long time. As always, reviews would be exceedingly welcome and helpful!


	10. Chapter 10: Ensuing Chaos

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Editor's Notes: Sister (original author) seems to have lost all interest in continuing so I'm taking over, due to the fact that I cannot bear to leave a fic unfinished. So my mixed feelings about the site notwithstanding, I press on.

I apologize for the ridiculous amount of time it has taken for this chapter to be churned out. But it has been my turn this year to take the same major examination which derailed my sister last year. Admittedly, even if that were not to be taken into consideration, I lacked a sense of urgency, till a review begging for the fic's continuation arrived, which more or less jerked me into action. Till then, I thought that there was no interest in this anyway, so why hurry? But since there is at least one reader out there who show interest, I am more than happy to continue.

Hopefully this chapter will be to your liking.

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Chapter 10: Ensuing Chaos

Rock Lee was getting frustrated yet feeling impressed at the same time, as he pursued Kurara through the torrential downpour of rain with the increased speed of the Initial Gate. _I have the first Gate open yet she manages to stay ahead of me using her jutsu, truly the flames of her youth burn brightly! In this heavy rain too! Er, wait, that sounded a bit strange... _But despite his pursuit of her appearing futile, he had no choice as he could not run the risk of being attacked while vulnerable from a distance. And of one thing he remained confident, that his superior stamina would outlast the girl's chakra reserves.

_Doesn't this guy ever tire, cha? Figures that a weird guy like him should have some redeeming quality, but still... _Kurara had come to the same conclusion as Lee. Similarly, she had no choice but to press forward since she could not afford to allow him to engage her in close combat. Her shoulder still stung from the punch he had thrown earlier. But with her chakra quickly depleting, she had to act fast or risk ending up in an even worse position. Taking a chance, she quickly separated her hands from the seal she had held while maintaining her Mizu-Shunshin, and formed a different set of hand seals.

"Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu," Kurara whispered, as she watched Lee charge straight at her. Three bunshins formed themselves from the rainwater around her, two moving to engage Lee while the last one remained by her side.

Lee was more than happy to re-enter combat. _The bunshins hold a mere fraction of her power, and dissipate easily. Given how easily I bested her in close combat earlier, surely she cannot believe that these two can overcome me? _He shook aside his thoughts as the bunshins closed in, one from either side.

Anchoring himself with his left foot, Lee used his right to deliver a powerful spinning kick to the bunshin on his left. It dodged the kick by jumping lightly into the air while throwing several kunai in the direction of his face. Lee had not time to marvel at how the rain in the path of the kunai suddenly slackened off as he twisted his body sharply in the air to avoid the deadly projectiles, before turning the movement into a punch thrown at the other bunshin attempting to back stab him.

His fist landed a direct hit, but not before its side was grazed by the kunai the bunshin was holding, not penetrating any deeper than the bandages on his left arm, to Lee's relief. Turning his attention to the destroyed bunshin's counterpart, he put on a sudden burst of speed to emerge behind it, separating it in half with a sideways sweep of his foot.

Lee then raced toward the two figures standing unmoving a short distance away. One quickly separated itself and moved in his direction. Figuring it to be the last bunshin, Lee ignored it completely, using his speed to move around it and toward the actual Kurara. Reaching her, he was surprised to see her not forming any hand seal or preparing any other form of retaliation. Brushing his surprise aside, he prepared to end the conflict.

"Konoha Repuu!" (Konoha Gale)

Lee delivered a powerful flying kick with his right foot aimed for Kurara's solar plexus, hoping to knock her out with minimal damage to her person...

...only for his foot to meet little resistance as it passed cleanly though her body. _What the-? A Bunshin? Which means that the one who came at me earlier was the real one! But why would she-? _His questions were promptly answered by the sound of activated exploding tags placed around him.

Kurara allowed herself a small smile as she readied a complicated set of hand seals. Her plan had been risky, but it had paid off. As the battered Lee emerged from the smoke which was rapidly being washed away, she unleashed one of her stronger techniques, with the aim of ending it all...

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Hyuuga Neji was never one to underestimate an opponent, not after the fiasco that was Uzumaki Naruto. And the foe currently facing him down had certainly given him no reason for complacency, even if it was two against one. Control over the torrential rain falling all around them, though not as complete as Neji had feared, meant that Tenten was severely handicapped. Lacking the Byakkugan to make up for the rain obscuring her vision, getting within range to employ close-range weaponry would be difficult, rendering a situation already complicated by the ineffectiveness of projectile weaponry even more desperate.

Neji gave the situation a once-over in his mind, before coming up with a rough plan for his and Tenten's actions. Irrelevantly, he wondered how effective it would be if he took a leaf out of Naruto's book and make things up as he went.

"Tenten-chan, stick close to me." Neji neglected to explain the finer details to his teammate. They had worked together long enough to grasp the gist of what the other wanted without explanation.

"Ooh, stick close to you, is it? Might as well have her cling to you, cha!" Merubin could never resist an opportunity to get a rise out of his opponent. After all, hadn't Chaaruzu-sensei always emphasized the usefulness of having an enemy not totally focussed on the battle at hand?

To his horror, and a degree of pleasure, Neji's mind chose that moment to conjure an image of Tenten clinging onto him, rubbing her head against his like an affectionate dog, all the while cooing "Neji-kun!"

Tenten was not a little surprised when Neji dropped his battle stance to shake his head furiously. She could have sworn that she heard Neji mutter "Baka, baka, baka!", and he actually looked like he had a blush on his face. That this action was in response to Merubin's words suddenly sank in, and it was her turn to blush furiously.

Merubin was nothing if not amused. _Chaaruzu-sensei always says that it is a pity for us not to be able to live normal teenage lives due to his aversion to living in a village and personal vendetta, cha. But from the looks of these two, I think I'd rather be free from the influence of teenage hormones, thank you very much! _His train of thought was cut off as Neji shook off his embarrassment and launched a palm strike at him aimed at his chest. Tenten took his cue and attacked by Neji's side with her nunchuks. Merubin performed a graceful back flip to evade their assault.

"Geez, I know you're in denial, cha, but do you have to take it out on me?" Merubin smirked as he stood out of range of his opponent's attacks.

"Shut up, you!" Neji was beginning to get very irritated, even as his mind told him to ignore his opponent's words and remain calm. Merubin's words had struck a chord within him, stirring an emotion he could not begin to comprehend.

Tenten was not faring much better when it came to the ability to think clearly. That she had a crush on Neji, she could not deny, but to have her opponent assume them to be two parties in a relationship made her wonder if there was indeed something in what he was saying. Or perhaps it was just her imagination coupled with the minimal visibility provided by the rain which made her imagine things such as Neji's cool façade slipping as a result of Merubin's taunts. He couldn't really be affected by his words, could he?

"Aww, I'm hurt, cha. But I will shut up, though I'm sure you won't grudge me one last word. Boom." Placing his hands into a hand seal, Merubin ignited the hidden explosives that Chaaruzu had thoughtfully decided to plant in the area before Team Gai had arrived. The force of the explosion threw Neji and Tenten back, as well as achieving the intended goal of separating them.

Neji recovered quickly, his first action being to check if Tenten was okay. Seeing that she was getting to her feet, he breathed a soft sigh of relief, which ended abruptly when he realized that she was a fair distance away facing Merubin. Rushing towards the pair, he shouted angrily, hoping to distract Merubin before he had a chance to attack, "You coward, that was a dirty trick!"

"When it's two on one, I'm going to need all the dirty tricks I can get, cha." Merubin shrugged as he ran through a series of hand seals, noting with satisfaction the way she raised a scythe while looking at him in a manner similar to how his sister looked at Chaaruzu-sensei when he was about to administer her one of his concoctions.

"Suiton: Suijou Dagekishuuha!" (Water Release: Aquatic Shockwave)

The water in front of Merubin formed itself into a massive wave spanning several metres, before slamming itself past Tenten's ineffective attempt at defence with her scythe. Her weapon fell to the ground as she took the full force of the attack, hurled to the ground where she lay motionless.

Assuming her to be out cold, Merubin turned his attentions to his second opponent, who in the time it had taken Merubin to perform his attack had managed to cover the distance between them and was almost upon him.

To say that Neji was angry would be an understatement. He was absolutely enraged and had every intention of thrashing the smirking fool in front of him within an inch of his life for hurting Tenten. That he was drawing his strength from such a motivation did not occur to his preoccupied mind.

"Hakke Kushou!" (Eight Trigrams Empty Palm Strike)

Neji launched himself forward at a speed which surprised Merubin, leaving him with no chance of dodging. Managing to cross his arms in front of his chest to absorb the brunt of the blow, he nonetheless staggered backwards. Neji pressed the advantage, but this time Merubin was ready for him.

"Suiton: Suihou Tate!" (Water Release: Bubble Shield)

Neji's strike was blocked by a sturdy wall of bubbles, to his disbelief. More bubbles began to form, trapping his arm within. Neji struggled to pull free as Merubin's face took on a slightly deranged appearance.

"Bubbles got you down, cha? Not much of a taijutsu fighter, are we? Heki!" (Burst)

The bubbles closest to Neji detonated, inflicting sharp pains along the length of his arm. Neji gritted his teeth, then smirked despite the pain he was feeling. Merubin had made the mistake of getting too close.

"Hakkeshou Kaiten!" (Eight Trigrams Heavenly Spin)

Despite still being surrounded by the bulk of his bubbles, Merubin took a massive hit from the Kaiten. On the brink of unconsciousness, he attempted to steady himself, noticing too late Tenten charging him from his blind side. It was pure instinct which saw him take only a single slash from Tenten's dual katanas before managing to Shunshin away to a safe distance.

Neji was elated to see Tenten largely unharmed, though this time his mind was unclouded enough to make his face not show it. On her part, Tenten was slightly disappointed that Neji showed no reaction to her recovering from the earlier attack, which had done little more than knock the wind out of her. Together they faced down the distant Merubin.

Merubin knew he was in trouble. Neji alone he would be hard pressed to handle, let alone with the added distraction of the weapons mistress who was not as useless as he had thought she would be in the rain. _I have no choice then, cha. To the next level it is._

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"Suiton: Mizubashira no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Waterspout Technique)

All the water within a ten-metre radius collected itself into a swirling tornado with Lee at its centre. Powerless to break free as a result of injuries suffered from the exploding tags earlier, Lee's body was thrashed around by the swirling vortex.

Kurara let out a sigh of relief as her technique subsided. _I did it. A bit of rest then I'm over to hel- _To her shock, a spinning green mass emerged from the mass of water, colliding violently with her. Lee had used the last of his strength to direct his body towards Kurara. Already unconscious, the speed at which his body was travelling meant that Kurara was not long in joining him. As her world blacked out, Kurara's last thoughts were with her brother.

"I'm sorry, aniki...cha"

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Merubin felt his sister lose control of the rain covering her surrounding area. As a result of the harsh life he and his sister had led before meeting Chaaruzu-sensei, he had learned that minimizing expectations did the same for possible disappointment. As far as he knew, his sister was dead.

"No...," Merubin muttered to himself. His sister had been taken away from him. "No...," These blasted Konoha shinobi had prevented him from being by her side. "No!" His eyes turning cold, the lightning marks under his eyes beginning to glow, a sign that his bloodlimit was being taken its final level.

The Kumoyuki bloodlimit allowed its users to control as Merubin had earlier put it, 'whatever comes out of a cloud'. The extent of its power was centred around three stages, its first elementary one enabling the user control over rain and water in general, the second allowing for control over wind, and the third and final level giving the user power over lightning, making the user a virtual embodiment of an angry thunderstorm. Only with complete mastery over one stage would the user be able to move on to the next.

Such was the state which Merubin was attaining, fuelled by his rage and sorrow. His sister had not even been given a chance to reach the level which he was not displaying. The Konoha shinobi would pay!

With his Byakkugan activated, Neji witnessed Merubin's transformation. _He's drawing chakra out of the storm clouds above him!_ Without thinking he subtly adjusted his body such that he was now standing in between Merubin and Tenten. Tenten was too focussed on watching Merubin to notice.

_Something must have happened to turn that smirking wise-cracker into this enraged avenger. Could it be that Lee has defeated his opponent and this guy has felt it? Well, good for him, but not quite good for us._ Neji mused as Merubin took a step forward with his arms raised above his head as a focal point for lightning coming down from the clouds.

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"Katon: Oni Kaen no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Demon Flame Technique)

Chaaruzu breathed out a stream of fire which took the form of a demon's head, homing in on Gai. Gai's eyes widened as he moved to dodge the incoming projectile. _This is no ordinary jutsu!_

Chaaruzu smirked outwardly, but inwardly he felt that his heart was not entirely into the battle. _Why do I feel like killing this man would be a grave error? Argh, now is not the time to have second thoughts, this man and his teammates intend to deprive me of my revenge._ Finding new resolve, he called out in a mocking tone, "Running, are we? You cannot run from the flames of an Oni!"

Gai chanced a look at his opponent in order to retort, only to be struck by what he saw in the other's eyes, a sense of unease, of unwillingness to go on with the fight. _This man seems rather reluctant to carry on with this fight, as if he has no other choice in the matter. The reason he gave earlier made him sound like some unreasonable revenge-crazed villain, but that appears to not be the case. I must pry out his true intentions, if it takes all of my flames of youth to do so!_ His newfound resolve was tested when the demon's head of flame stuck out a tongue and attempted to lick his rear end. He narrowly avoided being singed by making an undignified flip forward.

Even if he was facing doubts about the fight, Chaaruzu never passed up an opportunity to have fun at the expense of his opponent. While dodging the flame's attempts to burn him, Gai looked over to see if Chaaruzu was planning anything else in the meantime, only to see his hands fixed in the same hand seal, his attention entirely on the flame homing in on Gai. _So this jutsu needs to be maintained? That makes things easy._

Turning on a burst of speed, he easily outran the pursuing flame, which soon dissipated as Chaaruzu dropped the hand seal to parry Gai's opening fist, a thorny casing around his fist making up for Gai's obvious superiority in strength. Gai followed up with a kick which was met with Chaaruzu's Togetogeshii Araihada (Thorny Skin). Briefly in a stalemate, Gai took the opportunity to reason with his foe.

"Your reasons for attacking us are vague and unclear. Would you have me believe that you are an irrational avenger attacking us without good reason?" Gai said above the sound of his foot straining against the armour.

Chaaruzu was momentarily surprised. _Either he's toying with me or he's really unaware of what is going on. I seriously doubt the latter, but if it really is the case then... _"I have a score to settle with the man who inflicted years of agony on me, and it would seem that Konoha has sent a team to deal with him as well, since he had, after all, killed those leaf nins that had ventured too close to his operations. I cannot have anyone else interfering with this, it is between him and me."

To his surprise, Gai jumped back, and dropped his hands to his sides. "Then I am afraid there has been a great misunderstanding then. My team was sent to investigate the disappearance of the shinobi sent to the Rain on a routine mission. We know nothing of what you speak, and if the person you speak of does indeed have plans to go against Konoha, then I do believe some co-operation is in order."

Glancing into Gai's face, Chaaruzu felt that the man could not be lying. Recalling the disagreeable scene involving the man and his student before the battle with a shiver, Chaaruzu mused, _The man probably prides honour too much to lie about this matter. Perhaps we were hasty in jumping into battle._

Turning and walking towards the area covered by rain clouds, Chaaruzu called out behind him, "Call me a fool for taking your words at face value so easily, but I apologize for our actions. Hopefully our students haven't killed each other off already."

Taking his cue, Gai followed him in.

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Neji was beginning to feel a sense of desperation. The only thing standing between the two of them and a constant bombardment by lightning bolts was his Kaiten, which was beginning to flag. Only the desire to keep Tenten safe had kept it going as long as it had, in fact.

Tenten could see the exhaustion written on his face even as he spun, and she longed to tell him to stop, but she knew as well as he did that to do so would condemn the both of them. She sent him a silent apology, unaware that he was doing exactly the same.

Merubin's anger had clouded his usually rational mind, and had raised his abilities beyond where they really stood. That his chakra was fast running out didn't occur to him, all he had in mind was the electrocution of the accursed Konoha shinobi in front of him.

"Merubin, stand down at once! It seems we have misread their intentions." Chaaruzu's voice rang out commandingly.

The voice bringing his mind back to reality, Merubin gritted his teeth, not letting up on his technique, and responded angrily, "But sensei, Kurara, she, she..."

"Is in need of a good rest, as is her opponent." Chaaruzu indicated the unconscious girl cradled in his arms.

In his great shock and relief, Merubin immediately dropped his technique and ran over to his sister's side. Neji staggered a few paces before being caught and lowered to the ground tenderly by Tenten. Gai smiled as he saw the open display of affection shown to his student to her unconscious comrade. Adjusting the weight of Lee on his shoulders slightly he called out to Tenten. "We'll be heading some place to rest. If you need help with Neji, feel free to ask."

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And so it ends. Reviews are very much welcome, lets me know that there're actually people reading this. I do intend to complete the fic, so rest assured.


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